March 20, 2008
County to Inventory Existing Drainage Structures

By Dave Maxwell, Staff Writer

County Engineer Chuck Brechler told members of the Lincoln County Flood Control District there is a need to inventory drainage structures that exist in the County. Brechler said one of his concerns is the amount of sediment that would come down should one of the older structures fail because of deterioration.

Board member Vaughn Higbee said an inventory of what exists would be beneficial, “because then you can set some priorities…They’re outdated, they haven’t been maintained,” he added. Higbee mentioned a structure above Hiko that washed out years ago, “just about flooded Hiko away.”

Locating these structures may be difficult. Some of the structures have been in place for 80 years or more and could be completely covered over by sediment and silt. Records regarding others have to be found.

An inventory of the structures, especially the oldest ones, Brechler said, will require researching old records, including CCC camp records, to find what they constructed. The Civilian Conservation Corp in the 1930’s built a number of drainage structures in the County prior to World War II, including the Mathews Drop Structure.

Another option is, “Just talk to various people around the County, the old-timers, and ask them if they know of any drainage structures that are in existence.” He noted some dams are in the state parks, some sediment control dams and drop structures are known to have been built, but the of location of some of them is not known to County officials. “We don’t really know what all we really do have or who’s responsible for maintaining it….We’ve got to have knowledge of them and correct them before they do fail,” Brechler said.