Portage Lakes dam releases and flash runoff keep flooding New Franklin-area homes. Integrity Water Damage Restoration Ohio handles lake-area water damage 24/7. Call (614) 956-3233 today.
Water Emergency Right Now?
Do these five things first — then let us take it from there.
- Stay safe first. Don't walk through standing water if the power may be on — and never touch submerged outlets, panels, or appliances.
- Stop the source if you can. Shut the main water valve for a burst pipe or appliance leak. For storm flooding, focus on safety, not the water.
- Call (614) 956-3233 now. Our dispatchers answer 24/7 and can talk you through the next steps while a crew rolls.
- Move what matters. Lift rugs, electronics, and furniture legs out of the water if it's safe to do so — every inch helps.
- Don't wait on drying. Mold can start within 24–48 hours. Fast professional drying is the difference between a cleanup and a rebuild.
01A City Built Around a Chain of Lakes — and Their Dams
New Franklin is one of Ohio's newest cities — incorporated in 2006 from Franklin Township, immediately south of Akron — and its geography is defined by water. The Portage Lakes chain wraps through the city: West Reservoir, East Reservoir, Turkeyfoot Lake, Nimisila Reservoir, Cottage Grove Lake, and Long Lake, sitting across New Franklin, Coventry Township, and Green. These lakes are fed by 74 square miles of the developed Upper Tuscarawas River watershed via streams and runoff including Cottage Grove Creek, Wonder Lake Creek, and Mud Lake inflow (NEFCO Portage Lakes Management Plan, accepted July 2023).
Living on a managed lake chain means living downstream of decisions. The lakes are managed for flood control and mandated water transfer north across the Ohio River–Lake Erie basin divide — New Franklin sits on the Tuscarawas/Ohio River basin side of that divide. When storms hit, dam operators release water to protect the system, and those releases become someone's flood downstream.
Integrity Water Damage Restoration Ohio provides 24/7 emergency water damage restoration across New Franklin and southern Summit County — extraction, drying, mold prevention, and rebuild for lake-area homes. Call (614) 956-3233.
02The Dam and Gate System: Where Released Water Goes
The Portage Lakes aren't natural lakes behaving naturally — they're a plumbed system, and its release paths run through New Franklin neighborhoods:
- West Reservoir's dams and gates release north into North Reservoir, which sits 13.5 feet lower — a controlled drop that becomes an uncontrolled problem if inflows overwhelm the gates.
- East Reservoir's reconstructed dam releases 23 feet down to Long Lake via a secondary spillway — a high-water release path that activates during storms.
- Nimisila Reservoir drops 35 feet over its southern dam into Nimisila Creek, a Tuscarawas tributary — every major release is a flood-control event for downstream residents.
During heavy rain, these structures do exactly what they're designed to do: move water. But "moving water" and "your basement staying dry" are different outcomes, and homes along Cottage Grove Creek, Nimisila Creek, and the low areas between the lakes sit in the path. If you live near one of these release corridors, know it — and keep (614) 956-3233 accessible.
03June 18, 2019: The Day the Roads Collapsed
New Franklin's signature recent flood event didn't need a hurricane — just a Summit County cloudburst. On June 18, 2019, regionwide flooding hit the city hard:
- Kungle Road collapsed in New Franklin.
- Manchester Road collapsed near the Occasions Party Centre entrance.
- South Main Street flooded north of West Nimisila Road.
Collapsed roadways mean washed-out roadbeds — water moving with enough force to take asphalt with it. The same storm pattern that destroys a road floods the low areas along South Main Street and the homes tucked between the lakes. If your street was in the 2019 damage photos, your home's drainage has already failed once under cloudburst conditions.
Then August 8–9, 2024 brought the sequel: 3 to 4.5 inches of rain in a few hours across Summit County, with basements flooded across Akron-area communities. Two events, five years apart, same mechanism — intense runoff overwhelming a landscape of lakes, creeks, and clay soils.
04The 1913 Dam-Break Story — True, With a Correction
New Franklin has one of the great flood legends in Ohio. During the March 1913 flood, Portage Lakes property owners were reported to have blasted the East Reservoir Dam to save their own properties — sending the water toward Barberton instead. It's a dramatic story, and for decades it was repeated as fact.
The correction, from Akron-Summit County Public Library researcher Rebecca Larson-Troyer (via the Akron Beacon Journal): research found no evidence homeowners did this — the dam likely broke on its own under the flood's force. The legend survives because it captures something true about this place: when the lakes rise, someone downstream pays. In 1913 it was Barberton. In the next big one, it will be whichever neighborhoods sit below whichever structure gives way or gets opened.
More Than Water Removal
Water is only the first problem. Here's what we actually fix when we walk through your door.
Structural Damage
Standing water weakens framing, subfloors, and foundations. Fast extraction stops a small leak from becoming a structural repair.
Mold Growth
Mold can colonize damp drywall within 48 hours. We dry to verified moisture standards and treat surfaces to prevent regrowth.
Health Risks
Sewage backups and long-standing water carry bacteria and contaminants. We clean and sanitize until the space is safe again.
Lingering Odors
A musty smell means moisture is still hiding somewhere. We find the source, dry it completely, and deodorize — never just mask it.
Ruined Floors & Walls
Buckled hardwood, swollen drywall, peeling paint. We remove what can't be saved and rebuild what matters, start to finish.
Insurance Stress
Claims stall on thin documentation. We photograph everything, log moisture readings daily, and deliver adjuster-ready reports.
05Lakefront Cottages, Township-Era Homes, and Winter Pipes
New Franklin's housing is a rural-suburban mix that creates varied water-damage profiles:
- Lakefront cottages — seasonal and year-round homes right at the water's edge, exposed to lake-level rises, wave action in storms, and seepage through older foundations.
- Older township-era homes — Franklin Township predates the city by nearly two centuries; its older homes carry aging plumbing, original sewer connections, and foundations built before modern waterproofing.
- Sump-pump reliance — across the city's low areas, the sump pump is the last line of defense during lake releases and cloudbursts alike. Test it before storm season; battery backup for outages.
- Clay soils and winter freeze — Summit County clay drains slowly, and freeze-thaw cycles split supply lines in crawlspaces and exterior walls. The flood arrives on the thaw.
Our process: rapid dispatch, thermal-imaging moisture mapping, truck-mounted extraction, industrial drying verified by daily readings, antimicrobial treatment, mold prevention, and documented rebuild — with insurance-ready documentation at every step. Call (614) 956-3233 24/7.
06CTA Blocks
New Franklin Water Damage? Flooding Near the Lakes? Call Now — 24/7. A managed chain of lakes, dam releases, collapsed roads in 2019, and cloudbursts that keep coming — New Franklin's water risk is structural. Integrity Water Damage Restoration Ohio provides 24/7 emergency water extraction, drying, and restoration across New Franklin and southern Summit County. Call (614) 956-3233 for immediate response.
Free Moisture Inspection — New Franklin & South Summit County Lakefront seepage? Musty cottage? Staining from the 2019 or 2024 floods? We'll inspect with thermal imaging and moisture meters and give you an honest assessment — free. Serving New Franklin, Coventry Township, Green, Clinton, and Barberton. Call (614) 956-3233.
Our Restoration Process
A disciplined, four-step method — no guesswork, no shortcuts, no surprises.
Rapid Assessment
We inspect on arrival, map hidden moisture with meters and thermal imaging, and lay out a clear plan before any work starts.
Water Extraction
Truck-mounted and portable extractors pull standing water fast — the single biggest factor in limiting total damage.
Drying & Dehumidification
Commercial air movers and dehumidifiers run under daily monitoring until every material reaches verified dry standard.
Cleaning & Restoration
Sanitizing, odor removal, drywall, flooring, and paint — your property restored by one accountable crew.
“Every hour water sits, the damage — and the bill — grows.”
Call (614) 956-3233 — We Answer 24/7Why Ohio Homeowners Call Us First
- 24/7 live dispatch — a real person answers, day or night, holidays included
- 60-minute emergency response goal across our Ohio service area
- Upfront, honest pricing explained before work begins
- Insurance-ready documentation — photos, moisture logs, line-item reports
- Mold prevention built in — antimicrobial treatment on every drying job
- One accountable crew from emergency extraction to final repairs
Water Damage Can't Wait — Neither Do We
Our Ohio crews are on call 24/7 for emergency water extraction and drying.
Call (614) 956-3233 Now?Frequently Asked Questions — Water Damage in New Franklin
Yes — that's the nature of a managed lake chain. Releases from West Reservoir, East Reservoir, and Nimisila move water through fixed corridors (into North Reservoir, Long Lake, and Nimisila Creek respectively). If you live along Cottage Grove Creek, Nimisila Creek, or the low areas between lakes, a release during a storm can flood you with little local rainfall. Know your position relative to those corridors.
It means your immediate area has already demonstrated it can't handle cloudburst runoff — Kungle Road and Manchester Road both collapsed in that event. Homes on the same drainage paths face the same water. A free moisture inspection at (614) 956-3233 will show whether prior events left hidden damage.
Probably not. Research by the Akron-Summit County Public Library found no evidence for the long-repeated story; the dam likely failed on its own under flood pressure. But the underlying lesson stands: this lake system moves enormous water under stress, and downstream neighborhoods absorb it.
Lake-level rises during sustained rain, wave-driven water in storms, and chronic seepage through older cottage foundations. Keep valuables and mechanicals elevated, make sure your sump (if you have one) is working before storm season, and call (614) 956-3233 at the first sign of intrusion — lake-area moisture problems compound fast.
Mold can begin within 24–48 hours of water exposure. Lake-area humidity makes that window even less forgiving — emergency extraction and professional drying on day one is the single most important thing you can do.
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