(Milford)– Controversy over a proposal to increase outflow at the Lower Gar Outlet will like reach a culmination later this week.
A joint meeting over the issue will be held Wednesday (5/20) evening involving the Milford city council, Dickinson county board of supervisors, DNR and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
At a special meeting Monday evening of the Milford city council, Mayor Virg Wahlman presented council members with a possible compromise consisting of additional culverts being put in at a level that’s six inches over the height of the dam.
Owen Primavera, a resident of West Lake Okoboji, told the council doing anything with the outlet is, in his opinion, ludicrous. He told the council “You don’t mess around with mother nature that took 10,000 years to put that waterway in there. Now we’re going to come along and with the imbicility of man we’re going to try to control the drainage of water in a watershed that’s been there for 10,000 years. And the more we try to interfere, the more we’re going to screw it up”.
Primavera told the council to “stick with your guns”, adding “Low water has a major affect on many more people in this lakes area than high water ever will.”
Primavera made the comments after presenting the council with regional rainfall data dating back to the late 1870’s.
Smith Schuneman, a proponent of increasing capacity at the outlet, differed with Primavera’s analysis. Schuneman said it left out two important considerations. He says water levels aren’t determined so much by local rainfall, but by what happens in Minnesota where springs that feed West Lake Okoboji originate. Schuneman added the explosion of development that’s taken place along with the huge increase of impervious surfaces it brought must also be considered.
The council took no action regarding the proposed compromise. But it did get a cool reception from a couple of councilmen, including Todd Schillinger who said he was disappointed it was apparently channeled to the council through just one supervisor, Wayne Northey.
Another councilman, Mike Anderson, said “We haven’t had any studies on this. How can we sit down and suggest anything like that?” (referring to the proposed compromise).
Wednesday’s (5/20) joint meeting of the Milford city council, board of supervisors, DNR and Corps of Engineers begins at 7:00 p.m. at the Pearson Lakes Art Center. Thursday’s (5/21) joint meeting of the supervisos and Milford city council begins at 7:00 p.m. at the Milford Community Building. It’s expected any action on a possible compromise would be taken at that time.
