PS Flood Barriers Case Study: Clinton LumberKings

Clinton, Iowa

Professional baseball in Clinton, Iowa, is as much of a mainstay as the mighty Mississippi River. Clinton is home to the LumberKings, a Class A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners who play in the Midwest League. Games take place at Ashford University Field, located on the shores of the largest river in the United States.

In 2006, the stadium underwent a $4.2 million renovation, which included refurbishing the team’s main offices. Around this same time, new federal mandates required the city of Clinton to separate sanitary sewer water (water from homes and businesses) from storm sewer water (water from rainfall runoff and other drainage). Prior to this, both sources of water would drain into the water treatment plant before being emptied into the Mississippi River.

As a result of this mandate, the storm sewer system became taxed during heavy rains, causing water to back up, and lower-lying areas to flood, including the newly renovated LumberKings offices. “We experienced several instances of flooding, and at times, we would get as much as an inch of water in our offices,” says Ted Tornow, general manager of the LumberKings. “We would have to shut our offices down in order to clean up. It was a huge inconvenience, but we never missed a game or gate opening.”

Flooding ruined carpeting and damaged walls, and all in all, cleanup cost as much as $20,000 to $30,000 each time. The city, which owns the stadium and the field, worked with Tornow to research several options for flood protection and discovered PS Flood Barriers. “We looked at quite a few instances where PS Flood Barriers were in use, and we could relate to them all,” says Tornow. “We thought ‘If it can work for them, why can’t it work for us?’ When I spoke with the folks at PS Flood Barriers, I was very impressed. They asked insightful questions, and there was no judgment about why we were flooding. They were great to work with from the start.”

The LumberKings utilized PS Flood Barriers’ Flood Planks to protect the paired doors at the office’s main entrance. For the other three entrances, the LumberKings chose EzDam, a convenient lift-out option that deploys in just 30 seconds. “I love their products,” says Tornow. “They do exactly what they’re supposed to do.”

Since deploying the flood barriers, the LumberKings’ offices have stayed dry through a number of large storms. “We probably put a little more wear on them than most people since we frequently install them and take them down,” says Tornow, “and if we ever did need something adjusted or evaluated, the folks at PS Flood Barriers have been excellent about following up. They obviously know what they’re doing, and that’s been very important to us.”

Contact Terry Smith at 877-446-1519 or 701-795-6540 to learn more about PS Flood Barriers products.