Editor, The Daily Clarion

PRINCETON-A nearly 42-mile stretch of levee protecting western Gibson County property from Wabash and Patoka River flooding isn't adequate, says County Surveyor Michael Stevenson.

Stevenson, reporting on floodplain mapping work within the county, said Tuesday the study shows a great deal of the western portion of the county is not in a floodplain, but an actual floodway.

That may not be news to anyone who remembers or has read about the historic floods of the Wabash, which covered land stretching eastward from the river to Lyles Station.

A floodway is the portion of the floodplain with the greatest depths and velocities, an area of highest risk, which must be preserved to allow floodwater to pass through without being obstructed.

Stevenson said the Unit 5 levee which protects most of the land should be raised by six feet to ensure protection against historic flood levels.

The system was built by the Army Corps of Engineers, and the improvements would likely cost millions of dollars that locals couldn't afford to tackle on their own, he acknowledged.

Stevenson said the levee system was taxed by the 2005 flooding. &#8220We got real lucky."

White River/Hazleton Fire Chief Mike Ellis agreed, recalling flooding in his community. &#8220The 2005 flooding levels were reached with 24 percent less volume of water," he said. Hazleton can't increase the height of that community's levee without a $250,000 study.

Stevenson said though a great deal of the western portion of the county may be a floodway, he believes a new geographic imaging system (GIS) will provide elevation information that could show some exceptions, and help some property owners qualify for getting insurance and other assistance to make flooding repairs. If their property is within a floodway, homeowners might not be able to get a permit to make substantial repairs or replace structures.

Essentially, development over the years means it takes less water for the floodwaters to go higher, Stevenson agreed. &#8220It's pinched in with levees and it rises faster."

The GIS software and laptops were received through a Homeland Security grant, reported Gibson County Emergency Management Agency Director Terry Hedges. The laptops will be distributed to the health department, assessor's office, sheriff's department, commissioners for floodplain studies, county surveyor's office and others.

Hedges said the software allows the county to report elevations for flooding and tornado paths that would be helpful in emergency planning and response.

In other business addressed at Tuesday's monthly county council meeting:

€ The board approved an additional appropriation of $27,000 for Gibson Circuit Court jury trial expenses and pauper attorney fees and additional appropriations totaling $29,500 for sheriff's department vehicle repairs and gasoline expenses.

€ Council members agreed to advertise an additional appropriation of $7,500 to shore up a shortfall in the county sheriff's department's holiday pay budget.

Councilman Tony Wolfe said he hopes to fold the bonus pay into salaries next year and simply pay overtime for holidays worked, since employees now get the holiday pay whether they work the holiday or not.

Deputy Sheriff George Ballard said the bonus has been a county policy for 20 years or more. He said any changes should be explained in detail to employees.

€ Among transfers approved, the council agreed to move $90,000 from the highway department's equipment fund to gas and diesel, oil and lube expenses.

€ Sheriff Allen Harmon also asked the board to consider restoring a 911 fund dispatcher position that the council cut during budget time.

Harmon said he and commissioner Bob Townsend are reviewing refinancing the 911 equipment lease to free up money available for manpower in the department.

€ Townsend asked the council to consider moving $12,000 out of unused custodial salary funds to fix a 40-year-old boiler, and to use $7,000 in unused Soil & Water Conservation district funds to pay for closing out environmental work at the old highway garage property.

Under terms of a restrictive covenant at the old highway garage property, the county can build on top of the site but can't disturb the earth without remediation work. Townsend said estimates for remediation work on a corner of that property would be about $30,000.

The City of Princeton was interested earlier this year in using that corner to construct a roundabout at the intersection of Brumfield and Embree streets, but negotiations over liability came to a stalemate and the project was shelved.

&#8220How about a Starbucks and a doughnut shop?" quipped Wolfe.