Indian Springs Pond in Waukon City Park drained to accommodate removal of silt as part of FEMA-approved project that includes shoreline reinforcement
Indian Springs Pond drained to facilitate FEMA project ... A small stream of water filters its way to the drain pipe (lower left of above photo) on the southeast edge of Indian Springs Pond in the Waukon City Park, as the draining of the pond neared completion late last week. The pond is being drained to facilitate the digging out of approximately 2,400 cubic yards of silt that has filtered into the pond, mainly as a result of the 2013 flooding that took place in the Waukon area. The overall project will also involve the reinforcing of the south and east shorelines of the pond to prevent erosion. Standard photo by Jason Meyer.
by Jason Meyer
Passers-by of the Indian Springs Pond at the Waukon City Park may have noticed a change recently to the pond, namely the lack thereof.
Jeff Snitker, Assistant Director of Waukon Parks, Recreation and Wellness, began draining the pond Thursday, November 12, the first step in removing the flooded-in silt that has filled in a good portion of the pond to a shallow depth detrimental to many of its intended uses. The draining process, noted Snitker, involves a series of boards in the spillway - the cement culvert on the southeast side of the pond. By removing or replacing one or more boards, the outflow of the pond can be regulated.
As of Friday, November 20, the pond was drained as much as possible, save for water from the pond’s namesake still flowing through.
The project of silt removal from the pond was first approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) May of 2014 following the June 2013 episode of heavy rains and flooding that impacted the Allamakee County area. Having now gone through several FEMA changes, the project has been extended through May 2016.
With the pond now drained, the silt is expected to dry out marginally prior to freezing, at which point the frozen silt and soil will be dug out and hauled away.
Waukon City Clerk Allen Lyon said the current plan calls for the removal of 2,400 cubic yards (64,800 cubic feet) of silt and soil, or approximately 700 truck loads of material. Snitker noted that when finished, the goal is to have an average depth of six feet in the pond.
Lyle TeKippe of the Fehr Graham Environmental and Engineering firm, the project’s engineer, said that in addition to silt removal the plans also call for shoreline repair along the east and south shorelines, reinforcing those areas with stone riprap.
First approved by FEMA at $45,000, including repairs to the pond's dock, Lyon noted that since the dock repair portion has already used nearly $10,000 from that budget, and the final specifications for the silt removal and shoreline portions have yet to approved, the total cost of the project is likely to exceed the approved amount. In that instance, it will be up to the City to fund the difference.
Once the final specifications have been approved and submitted for bid, the chosen contractor will be expected to haul out the frozen materials over the winter, and riprap this spring, completing the project by the May 2016 deadline. Following that, Snitker will be narrowing down the pond’s outflow, and Indian Springs will then refill the pond, with the aid of any remaining snow melt and, of course, the spring rains.
