(Spirit Lake)– With memories of the flood of 1993 still fresh on everyone’s minds and with the Iowa Great Lakes once again threatening to spill over their banks, the Dickinson county board of supervisors this (Tuesday) afternoon voted in favor of seeking both short term and long term solutions to the problem.
Tom Kuhlman, Executive Director of the Iowa Great Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce, was among those calling on the supervisors to address the matter head-on. Kuhlman told the supervisors it’s imperative they do something now to try to prevent a repeat of 1993. He said it’s crucial to protect the area’s 160 million dollar tourism industry.
The supervisors voted five-to-nothing in favor of a motion authorizing County Engineer Dan Eckert to remove foliage downstream from the Lower Gar Outlet and to look at a smaller outlet at the southwest corner of West Lake Okoboji near Garloch Slough. It’s believed vegetation is clogging that outlet as well. That’s the short-term solution. For a long term solution, Supervisor Paul Johnson made a motion directing Eckert or a designee of his to proceed in drawing up plans and specifications fro a bridge at the Lower Gar Outlet. Fellow supervisor Wayne Northey amended the motion to read “drawing up plans and specifications for a bridge or multiple culverts”. The vote to amend the motion was three-to-two with supervisors Johnson and David Gottsche voting no. The amended motion was then passed on a vote of four-to-one with Gottsche voting no, saying they hadn’t heard from people downstream who would be affected when the additional water is released.
Eckert told KUOO news he’ll weigh the pro’s and cons of a bridge and additional culverts and make a recommendation to the supervisors on which to go ahead with.
While most who were at Tuesday’s meeting expressed interest in a bridge as the best long term solution, others, including some who live on East Lake Okoboji, are concerned the bridge may actually let out TOO much water…making lakes on the lower end of the chain even more shallow.
Supervisor Mardi Allen summed it up best saying “this issue is NOT over”.
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