CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Residents in one Clarksville neighborhood are experiencing flooding for the second times this year.
In February, flood waters washed over the Woodstock neighborhood off Exit 1. Those waters then froze, damaging crawl spaces, vehicles, HVAC units, and the first level of homes.
"I would say that just our subdivision probably spent a quarter of a million dollars in March recovering from February," Woodstock neighborhood resident Ivan Murdock explained.
This weekend, as everything was undergoing repairs, it flooded again.
"It is very traumatic emotionally, and the other is just a feeling of defeat," Murdock expressed.
Murdock said as the basin that was made to temporarily hold back water filled up on Wednesday and Thursday, the City only initially provided one pump to mitigate flooding.
"Once it gets out of that basin, one inch is like 8 feet," Murdock described. "It just starts to laterally spread, and then it just rises proportionately."
By Saturday, the waters were overflowing out of the basin and at least 18 feet deep at the deepest part.
According to the National Weather Service in Nashville, the Clarksville area received 10.13 inches of rain from the flood event that began on April 2 and continued through April 6.
"The developers have literally out-built our infrastructure, and they are creating this," Murdock said. "There are a few other neighborhoods not quite as bad as Woodstock, but there are other places in Clarksville that are having similar issues and for the exact same reason."
"Woodstock should have never been built," Arbour Greene North neighborhood resident Larry Wagler added. "They had to raise that in order to build it, and then that's where the water always wanted to go."
Woodstock residents told News 2 that the first devastating flood occurred in 2010.
"That very first one in 2009 or 2010, they said something like 'Oh well, that was a ten-year flood; we can't be blamed for that,'" Wagler explained. "Well, now you had 15 more years to get it right, and they haven't."
"We have been having lengthy, internal discussions across all city departments, about these problem spots since even before the February 15, 2025, flood event occurred," the City said in a statement.
Keri Lovato, the councilperson for that area, told News 2 that the city is working with the Street Department to determine how their "current systems can better handle heavy rainfall."
"They put over a thousand houses in there after the 2010 flood," Murdock said. "Between roofs and roads, they have changed the geology and geography of exit one. That can never hold exit one's water, and that's where it is going."
Lovato explained how the proposed city budget is coming soon. She said she would push for a long-term solution if the budget does not address drainage.
"Our infrastructure can no longer handle the kind of weather we're experiencing now," Lovato said in her statement.
"I've walked through flooded homes with my neighbors," Lovato continued. "I've seen living areas ruined, thousands of dollars to replace HVAC units, and cars totaled. Their peace of mind has been stripped, their homes have been devastated, their family displaced. It's heartbreaking. My promise is to connect them with resources to help ease the immediate burden while pushing for a long-term solution."
A representative with the City of Clarksville said the city is looking to provide long-term relief for residents of Woodstock, Elberta Drive, and neighboring areas.
"None of the potential solutions on the table are easy or quick to accomplish, and the cost of accomplishing them will be very expensive," a statement from the City read in part. "We are not halting our efforts because of these significant obstacles."
The City representative added that, at a date, time, and location to be announced, they will potentially host a public discussion about all short-term and long-term assistance for residents in the affected neighborhoods.
"Their concerns are all of our concerns," Mayor Joe Pitts and the City of Clarksville assured flood victims.
Residents in the area told News 2 that until they see action, their questions and concerns will remain.
"What's the plan?" Murdock asked. "You know, I mean, just say it because we have been saying this since 2010."
"And what is the next step to stop this?" Murdock added. "The homeowners now they can't sell."
"My question would be, why haven't you thought about us?" Wagler asked.