Construction of a swale in the alley of the 1000 block of East Tenth Street could minimize flooding issues business experience there.

Roanoke Rapids Public Works Director Richard Parnell said construction is expected to begin with in the next 10 days.

The swale should help keep the water in the alley instead of inundating businesses from the 1019 to 1039 buildings.

Parnell said the swale construction comes after several complaints from businesses where water seeps in during heavy rainfall. One business owner retained an attorney to help fight what he described as a series of engineering errors which he claims led to the problem.

Parnell said the work is expected to cost a couple of thousand dollars. A plan last year to do $50,000 worth of curbing and guttering to address the problem was scrubbed by council.

Parnell described a swale as something similar to a ditch. “It’s more like a depression to minimize the potential for flooding.”