Water - too much of it in all the wrong places - is a frequent complaint voiced by many Lawrence Countians.

Thursday, the Lawrence County Commission agreed to contact the Ohio Department of Transportation and the Lawrence County Engineer's Office, asking officials there to look into several complaints the commissioners have received lately about drainage issues on local roadways.

Although road and road drainage issues are not under the commission’s jurisdiction, commissioners often field complaints and pass them along to the appropriate offices.

Commissioner George Patterson said residents in Chesapeake along County Road 1 have contacted him about a drain pipe that runs under U.S. 52 and empties near the SEOEMS station there. Residents have said the problem appears to be that the pipe is too small for the amount of water it often must carry, or may be partially blocked, or both.

"Sometimes water comes down out of that pipe and shoots 10 to 12 feet in the air, there's that much force," Patterson said, adding that he fears eventually the water may erode area property, creating problems for homeowners there.

Patterson said he also received a complaint from a resident on Hog Run Road about blocked drainage ditches in that area. Since the ditches are full, rainwater has no place to go and often backs up on people’s property and even in their septic system leachate beds.

Commissioner Jason Stephens said he has received complaints about roadway drainage ditches along parts of County Road 121 and parts of Big Branch Road.

In the case of County Road 121, Stephens said the ditch has the potential to become a health problem.

"There’s an issue of mosquitos and general nastiness. The ditch is in front of the house and kids play in the yard. The ditches need to be cleaned out," Stephens said.