ELY — A intense burst of rainfall last week caused flash flooding in several neighborhoods, damaging homes and businesses and overwhelming the city’s drainage systems.
The flooding occurred after the city received over two inches of rain between midnight and 2 a.m., followed by an additional 3-4 inches of precipitation concentrated in just 45 minutes between 10 and 10:45 a.m., according to Ely Clerk-Treasurer Harold Langowski.
“We assisted a couple property owners with sump pump issues,” Langowski said. “I’d say by later in the day, everything had been cleaned up.”
The flooding was seen in three main areas: properties off Sheridan and First Avenue West, the Second Avenue East and Pattison Street area, and the vicinity of Whiteside Park near Harvey and Eighth Avenue.
Linda Trapkus, owner of Blue Earth Pottery on East Pattison Street, experienced significant damage to both her home and business when floodwater invaded her basement.
“It got six to seven inches throughout my whole basement. It came up through the sump pump area,” she said. “I know that my washer and dryer are damaged. I know that a lot of my glazes are damaged and gone.”
The pottery business owner watched helplessly as floodwater carried away her tools and threatened expensive equipment. 
“I don’t know yet about my kiln and my wheel. Hopefully they can be repaired,” she said. “All my tools, things like that, I was watching them float by.”
Linda had to leave the scene the day after the flooding so she could sell her wares at the Blueberry/Art Festival and hadn’t been able to fully assess the extent of the damage to her pottery studio.
City crews responded quickly to assist residents, including providing a portable pump and staff assistance to a property owner whose sump pumps failed during the deluge.
By the end of the day, standing water had receded and cleanup efforts were underway.
“We’re working on sweeping up sediment,” Langowski said.
The flooding also caused problems for the city’s wastewater system, which experienced “extremely high inflow” during the storm event. City officials are continuing to study the situation to determine the main sources of groundwater infiltration that overwhelmed the sanitary sewer system.
While the storm sewer system initially became overwhelmed, it eventually caught up with the volume of water and drainage was restored to normal function.