The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current, October 27, 1986, The Sower, Page Page 2, Image 14
o 3T Tl TTTl 9 TTT) R fT P 2y By Martha Miller G For fiye years, people around peitt have repeatedly been flooded from their homes. The government has stepped in to help, but some folks are still upset. On the cover: James and Linda Buss stand in what once was a productive field on their farm. lenn Pieper's voice shakes and his I eyes water when he talks about the flood that hit DeWitt two years ago. He is angry that water ruined his new home. He is resentful that he has had to pay more than $30,000 to repair the house, and that he will spend the next 10 years paying back flood loans. He is frustrated that the state has done little to try and help stop the flooding. And he is hurt. Deep down he believes the stress of the flood contributed to his 10-year-old-son's ulcer and the premature death of his mother. Two months after the June 1 3 disaster, doctors diagnosed Mrs. Pieper's cancer. Thirteen months later, she was dead. "The doctor said the flood could have triggered the cancer cells to activate," he said, nervously rubbing a hand over his face. Pieper's response may seem irrational to some, but the people in DeWitt are somewhat emotional when it comes to floods. In the past five years, the town of 650 has experienced three floods in 1982, 1984 and 1986. Since 1902, DeWitt has been flooded 14 times. The 1984 flood cost Gage and Saline Counties $14.3 million. ''Some people say a flood is an act of God" (leper saM Keah, I believe that . . if youhave 8 to 20 inches of rain overnight But that's not what we have. Gar flood is coti&jji from 20 to-30 miles upstream.' ;-J:. , J DeWitt'fiocds,'ia fcayy Alias Swell , the ususiy tranquil North cad South Kjirb 'fit Swan -Greek, The water rushes downstream, pouring into nearby Turkey Creek which, in turn, dumps into the Big Blue River a few miles above DeWitt. In an effort to help tame the waters, the state offered to build 17 dams and two grade-stabiliza tion structures on Swan Creek designed to reduce flooding in DeWitt by 98 percent and up to 25 percent in nearby Beatrice. The watershed also would protect some 9,600 acres of land that sits on the Big Blue flood plain. That was 22 years ago. Today, only two of the 17 dams have been built. The $8.7 million project has become victim of bureaucratic red tape, economic belt tightening and by their own admission inattentive DeWitt residents. M history of the Swan Creek Watershed rTPfgoes back to June 9, 1964, when neighbors of the creek submitted an application to the Nebraska Soil and XL Water Conservation (now the Natural r Vi o o o Resources District) to ask for federal assistance in building a watershed project. The application was approved ana. in iw), two dams were built near Milligan, several miles northwest of DeWitt. But in 1972 the project was put on hold. A new administration moved into the White House and changed the regulations for small watersheds, said Ron Fleecs, district manager of the Lower Big Blue Natural Resources District. Since the project is funded by three groups the federal Soil Conservation Service, the Nebraska Resource Commission and the local Lower Big Blue N'RD it was sent back to the drawing board. There were major debates over using flood plain regulations and whether or not to build dams, Fleecs said "The EPA wasn't gung ho on the dams because they were inhibiting wildlife," he said. If it wasn't for the administrative delays, Fleecs said, the watershed would have been completed by now. Finally, in 1983, after a series of emotional and sometimes heated legislative hearings, the federal government granted its approval and financial support. Three of the structures located near Tobias in Saline County received the go-ahead in September and are slated for completion by the end of this year. Bet Fleecs says it's just hopeful speculation. , Dam construction is heavily tied to weather conditions and often is delayed because of rain. So far, the crew on "pie Tobias site has only been able to work 4''dsys'.(ihis .Vearfie .said; If things move ahead as scheduled, Fl&cs said; the NBD is hoping the entire project can be finished by 1994. v'-:' The heart of the watershed's problems are financial. Pleas for more money have come at a time when the state is facing a $50 million shortfall in funds. To help trim some fat from the budget, Gov. Bob Kerrey vetoed $200,000 for the Swan Creek watershed last July. That news didn't sit too well with some DeWitt residents. About 20 townspeople piled into their cars and pick-up trucks the following Saturday and drove to Lincoln to picket the governor's mansion with signs saying "No more words we want action" and I'We'U be in the red until you give us watersheds." James and Linda Buss, farmers who live several miles south of DeWitt, were two people who made that 30-mile trip. James Buss, 32, lost $10,000 in 1984 when the flood devoured 200 acres of corn, soybeans and milo. In the last seven years, his farm has been flooded 1 1 times. Years of flooding have left behind a 450-foot by 50-foot, 10-feet hole in the middle of his cornfield as a painful reminder.