(Spirit Lake)– Recent heavy rainfalls have memories of 1993 dancing through the minds of Dickinson county supervisors. One supervisor, Mardi Allen, says the county should have some remediation efforts in place just in case.
County Engineer Dan Eckert reported Tuesday the levels of the Iowa Great Lakes were still going up, even though we’ve gone several days now without significant rain.
Supervisor Wayne Northey reported a lot of water is running over the Loon Lake spillway, heading south toward Big Spirit Lake.
Eckert says as of right now there’s nothing to worry about, but he says an additional five to seven inches of rain would cause “some real problems”.
Another supervisor, Pam Jordan, suggested the supervisors take a field trip, including a visit to Loon Lake.
Allen and fellow supervisor Paul Johnson said they want an opinion from Pocahontas drainage attorney Jim Hudson reconsidered. In his opinion, Hudson recommends the county not replace a series of culverts at the Lower Gar Outlet with a bridge, siting liability issues.
Supervisor Chair David Gottsche said he feels the impediments are at the Hinshaw and Sawmill Bridges.
While there was a lot of talk and concern about the possibility of another flood, the supervisors took no action.
