City Urged to Address Recurring Elm Grove Flooding
WHEELING -- In the wake of repeated flooding in Elm Grove, city leaders are being urged to address problems that have caused significant damage to businesses and homes.
Earlier this month, Elm Grove Business Association President Kristy Ferguson spoke before Wheeling City Council, raising concerns following the latest round of flooding that left parts of the neighborhood knee-deep in stormwater again in late June.
Elm Grove was among the areas hardest hit June 14, 2025, when flash flooding along Little Wheeling Creek claimed the lives of nine people in Ohio County and caused millions of dollars in damage to private property and public infrastructure.
Late last month, heavy rain again caused serious flooding in parts of Elm Grove. Businesses in the Elm Terrace Shopping Center were among the properties inundated with stormwater that could not be redirected quickly enough.
“Many of us here remember waking up on Father’s Day 2025 to the deadly flood that affected Valley Grove, Triadelphia and Elm Grove,” Ferguson said. “But only Elm Grove residents really remember June 26 of last year and June 22 of this year. Once again, floodwaters rose, and it only took on businesses and residences within Elm Terrace, Lounez Avenue and around Uncle Pete’s.”
Ferguson, who owns a business and also lives in Elm Grove, said the recurring problem will continue unless the city takes action. Business owners believe a stormwater management plan and investment in improved drainage infrastructure are needed to reduce flooding in the area.
“This just continues to happen,” Ferguson said. “This year alone, the estimated damage is more than $250,000. Out of the 15 businesses, five of them have made very large, substantial investments into our community totaling more than $9.5 million. Four are brand new and only opened within the last six months. One of them only opened two weeks ago.”
National Equipment Co., which operated for decades in downtown Wheeling near the Ohio River, recently celebrated the opening of its new location in the Elm Terrace Shopping Center. The business was among several flooded during the late June storm.
“I’m not here to demand answers, because City Council already knows, overall, the solution to this problem,” Ferguson said. “But I am here to preemptively ask you that when the time comes for you to make the motion to approve the cost to fix this problem, that you remember our corner of Wheeling -- Elm Grove.”
As head of the Elm Grove Business Association, Ferguson recalled speaking with Wheeling Mayor Denny Magruder during his mayoral campaign.
“You told me that win or lose, you and I were going to work together,” she said. “I’m here to collect on that campaign promise. Help me make my chosen community of more than nine years a better place to live, work and play for future generations.”
Ward 6 Councilman Dave Palmer, who represents Elm Grove, said the city is working toward long-term improvements.
“Once again, unfortunately, Elm Grove experienced flooding in the month of June,” Palmer said. “So the business owners and residents know, we are working toward solutions. Nothing is going to happen overnight, but we are trying to put plans in place to make things better for everyone.”