Orange City is looking to secure a key road on its east side against possible flooding.

A portion of East Graves Avenue between Monastery Road and Raintree Drive has a dip whose lowest point is just a few feet higher than the edge of a lake on the north side of Graves. City Manager Dale Arrington is hopeful the Federal Emergency Management Agency will help Orange City raise the roadway.

“We’ve submitted to FEMA an application for a hazard-mitigation grant. It was for East Graves Avenue flooding,” Arrington told The Beacon. “The total estimated project cost is $3,541,800. The amount of the grant that may be approved is $2,655,750. The matching amount is 25 percent.”

The match is the amount that Orange City would have to pay to qualify for the grant. Thus, the city may be responsible for paying $886,050 to get the federal grant to fill up the low ground and thus stave off flooding on the two-lane thoroughfare.

How soon city officials may learn if FEMA approves their request for a grant for Graves Avenue is not known.

“It’s quite an extensive review process,” Arrington said. “We have responded to requests for additional information.”

Arrington also said Orange City has applied or intends to apply for FEMA aid to address other flood-prone areas, such as the one around the post office on North Industrial Drive.