Supervisors tour flood damage in southern/eastern portions of county ...

Members of the Allamakee County Board of Supervisors traveled to multiple locations with Allamakee County Engineer Brian Ridenour Thursday, October 6 to inspect flood damage and ongoing pavement projects, mainly in the southern and eastern portions of the county. An additional tour is planned for later this month of the more northern areas of the county. The group made stops that included the paving projects on Cherry Valley Drive near Postville and at the Wexford Bridge north of Harpers Ferry, and also looked at damage from August and September heavy rains and flooding that still needs to be addressed as County road crews continue to work on repairing damage experienced during the last two months. Pictured at right is a landslide along Village Creek Drive that eroded a bit of the roadway and washed a good portion of the bank into Village Creek below. Pictured below is hillside erosion near the Wexford Church to the right in the photo, and in the foreground one can see an example of the accumulation of rocks and soil that has built up in many culverts under roadways throughout the county and requires digging out in order for the culverts to function properly. Ridenour also said the widening of stream banks is visible in many areas of the county due to the heavy rains and flooding, and tree debris can be seen, and in some locations continues to accumulate, under bridges and in culverts. He said the over-saturation of soil has contributed to landslides affecting road shoulders and the stability of embankments.