(Spirit Lake)– With one member absent, the Dickinson county board of supervisors voted three-to-one today (Tues.) to proceed with plans to install three additional culverts at the Lower Gar Outlet and two increase capacity of an outlet at Sixth Street in Milford.
The projects are intended to drop water levels on West Lake Okoboji faster.
The Lower Gar portion of the project has an estimated cost of 325-thousand dollars; the Sixth Street project is estimated at between 350-thousand and 400-thousand dollars. Supervisors acknowledged the fact that some major project shuffeling will have to be done in order to pay for the project, to be carried out between 2008 and 2010.
Two later phases of the project will include a clean out of Mill Creek at an estimated cost of 150-thousand dollars and increased capacity of an outlet under County Road A-34 east of Milford at an estimated cost of between 350-thousand and 400-thouand dollars. Those projects are to be carried out between 2010 and 2015.
Supervisor Wayne Northey made the motion to proceed, saying it was high time the county did something to address the matter.
There’s one stipulation that still stands in the way of the work actually starting. An agreement with the city of Milford is needed, since it has jurisdiction over 75 percent of the area surrounding the Lower Gar outlet. City Administrator Brian Reed said the agreement will have to address several issues, including removal of the culverts if it’s found they’re drawing down water levels too much; maintenance; replacement and indemnification. Reed sited a legal opinion the county obtained stating it could be held liable should any changes on the outlet have an adverse affect on anyone. He said the city of Milford wants no part of any such liability.
Siting that same legal opinion, Supervisor Chairman David Gottsche cast the lone dissenting vote.
The project is intended to lower levels of West Lake Okoboji faster during times of high water. Property and business owners on the lake say ongoing high water combined with wind and wave action is causing severe shoreline erosion in some areas. Meanwhile, homeowners on Lower Gar are worried the changes will cause water levels on that lake to drop to little or nothing.
