Lower Gar meetings planned May 20, 21

The Lower Gar outlet will be the topic of discussion at two public meetings this week. The Milford City Council and Dickinson County Supervisors are attempting to resolve the outlet issue.
(Photo by Anitra Wolf)

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At 7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 20, a meeting is planned at the Pearson Lakes Art Center where the Milford City Council and Dickinson County Supervisors will meet with representatives of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and Army Corps of Engineers. Those in attendance will discuss the Lower Gar outlet and potential flooding in the Iowa Great Lakes.

The Milford Council and Board of Supervisors will hold a joint meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 21 at the Milford Community Building. They will discuss what is learned at Wednesday's meeting along with the supervisor's current outlet project, which consists of three additional 5 by 12 foot box culverts at the outlet.

For the past several years, the supervisors and Milford Council have disagreed on the solution to the outlet issue. The supervisors believe a bottle neck exists at the Lower Gar outlet at 230th Street, where a road's culvert system constricts the flow of water out of the Iowa Great Lakes system. Many believe that in the case of a flood, the slow drainage could be the cause high water throughout the system and resulting flood damage. Without threat of a flood, Milford Council members say they feel the restriction of water helps keep Lower Gar's water levels at a satisfactory level and sustains the lake's already-troubled water quality.

The jurisdiction for the Lower Gar outlet is shared between Milford and Dickinson County, so an agreement needs to be reached for anything to be done at the site.

Milford Council considers proposal

With two meetings on the horizon, the Milford City Council considered a proposal from Dickinson County Supervisor Wayne Northey at its council meeting Monday evening. Northey's proposal asked the council to endorse the placement of culverts at six inches over the height of the weir.

"This proposal should be something that can be lived with by everybody," said Milford Mayor Virgil Wahlman. The council was hesitant to make any decisions prior to this week's meetings, saying they wanted to involve the public in the final decision.

Owen Primivera addressed the council with his opinion on the Lower Gar outlet project, calling the culvert project "ludicrous."

Primivera presented 111 years worth of precipitation records, saying the average rainfall in the Lakes area is approximately 27 inches per year. He calls the 1993 flood an anomaly.

"Most people respect and like high water," said Primivera. "Low water has a major effect on way more people in the Lakes area."

Primivera urged the Milford Council to "stick to their guns" and do nothing at the Lower Gar outlet.

Lower Gar project meetings

Wednesday, May 20

7 p.m. - Pearson Lakes Art Center

Milford Council, Supervisors, DNR and Corps of Engineers

Thursday, May 21

7 p.m. - Milford Community Building

Milford Council and Supervisors