By JEFFERSON WEAVER

State Department of Transportation officials can’t say for sure if Tropical Storm Ernesto left a lasting mark on area roads.

“We had some overwash,” said Maintenance Engineer Fred Edwards, “and that usually means some erosion, but we have to wait for things to dry out before we can see how bad it was.”

Flooding can cause undercutting of highway and road shoulders, as well as erosion of dirt around drain tiles. The erosion can lead to displacement of tiles, causing sections of road to collapse.

None of the damage in the county is thought to be severe, Edwards said.

At the height of the flooding from Ernesto, more than a dozen roads in the county – mainly in the Delco area – were underwater. Emergency personnel evacuated 14 people from homes on Water Tank Road and elsewhere in the east end.

By Tuesday, only one road – Old Dothan Road, near the South Carolina line – was still flooded.

“We believe we have a pipe blocked down there that’s causing the trouble,” Edwards said. “It could be caused by beavers, but we don’t know for sure.”

Beavers build dams and are considered responsible for regular flooding in the county. They gravitate toward drainage tiles and large pipes because narrow channels make convenient places to build dams and lodges.

When the animals stop or slow streams, creeks, and canals, the resultant ponds can cause watercourses to overflow. Beavers have no natural predators except man, and reproduce prolifically.

“Beavers like high water,” Edwards said, “and we have a mess of them here. They’re giving us a fit.”

District Engineer Drew Cox said the county “fared pretty well” in terms of road problems with Ernesto.

“The folks in Delco had it tough,” he said, “but overall, it was a good dry run for us.”

Cox said that in a severe situation, the agency first works to clear debris from roads, working from major highways down to secondary roads. Along the way crews evaluate flood damage as best as they can, and prepare to take more steps as the flooding recedes.

Washouts, the collapse of bridge foundations, and erosion of earth around pipes are among the problems they look for.

“Pipes will get blocked and flood the area,” Cox said. “This can cause overwash. Sometimes shoulders of the road get saturated and collapse, but the road doesn’t appear damaged. That’s one reason we discourage people from driving on submerged roads. You never can tell what’s under the pavement.”

Cox said Old Dothan Road was washed down to the hardpan, but he saw at least one car drive through the overwashed area Tuesday.

He compared the storm’s flooding to Hurricane Floyd, the 1999 storm that paralyzed much of the region.

“In Floyd, we had between 100 and 150 washouts,” he said. “With Ernesto, we had two, on chair Factory Road and Old Dothan Road. It’s a world of difference.”

Edwards said DOT expects Old Dothan Road to reopen this week.

“After everything dries out a little, he said, “we’ll be in better shape to see what’s been damaged and where. We can’t do anything really until the water is down and some of the ground dries.”