Yippy Skippy Traditional Cache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
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Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
This cache is along the Riverway Hike Bike Trail made
possible by the Wood River Diversion Project. You are looking for a
camouflaged peanut butter jar about .16 miles from the parking
cords.
Please take the time to read about the diversion project.
Eight Presidents Later
It wasn't easy and it didn't happen quickly. But city and county
officials stuck with it and the Wood River Diversion Project,
started in 1968, was finally completed in 2004. One year later, it
rescued Grand Island from flooding, and saved it again this past
spring.
Here's the story.
By Gloria Bucco
This is the chronicle of a coalition of public entities who decided
to take matters into their own hands to protect the citizens of
their communities. In 1967, after record flooding from the Wood
River damaged 1,800 buildings, impaired streets and highways, and
caused sewer failures, Grand Island, Hall County and Merrick County
decided something needed to be done. They devised a plan that would
work for all community members and secured the funding to get
things rolling. It wasn't easy and it didn't happen quickly. In
fact, the U.S. had eight different presidents before the project
was finished. But it was finished. By 2004, the Wood River
Diversion Project was complete. Then, only one year later, the
diversion was put to the ultimate test. In a 24-hour period, 7.21
inches of rain fell. Project sponsors held their breath as the
water accumulated but later celebrated as the diversion worked
exactly as planned, redirecting water from Grand Island and the
Stuhr Museum, and sending it along its own personal floodway
directly into the Platte. Many residents of Grand Island weren't
even aware that they had come so close to being flooded yet
again.
10,000 Burlap Bags
Gathering dust in a lonely part of the Stuhr Museum's warehouse are
a dozen water pumps and 10,000 burlap bags. And that's exactly
where they're going to stay, according to Tom Oshlo, the museum's
facility manager. "Stuhr Museum has had multiple issues with high
water over the years," Oshlo recalled. But this spring, when the
Wood River, west of Grand Island, flooded yet again, Stuhr Museum
remained high and dry, as did the city, thanks to a cooperative
project called the Wood River Diversion. Major floods in 1967, 1986
and 1993, saw museum staff and volunteers stacking a "tremendous"
number of sandbags and pumping huge quantities of water to keep the
museum safe from the devastating flood waters. Even so, the museum
sustained damages during each flood and, during the 1993 event, its
Native American Earth Lodge was demolished. Without the diversion,
"during this spring's floods alone, the museum would have floated
away," Oshlo maintained.
Beginnings
After the 1967 flooding, the supervising boards of Hall, Merrick
and Buffalo counties knew they had to do something to protect their
residents from future high-water events on the Wood River. "Wood
River has about 900,000 acres of drainage," said Milt Moravek,
assistant manager and projects director for the Central Platte
Natural Resources District in Grand Island. "It's the largest
watershed in our NRD, and Grand Island had experienced major floods
in the past." The boards decided to create the Mid-Platte Valley
Watershed Advisory Improvement Board, and hired two employees. One
was Moravek. "Our first priority was to clear and snag dead fall
from the Wood River and other nearby channels," Moravek explained.
"Then in 1972, when we merged with the natural resources districts,
which were founded that same year, talk of flood control for the
lower and upper Wood River watershed was initiated. Proposals were
submitted to the Natural Resources Conservation Service and were
placed on a priority list for large planning efforts. But as
sometimes happens with priority lists, the project never got
anywhere." By 1976, the Central Platte NRD was tired of waiting and
decided to contact the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Corps
came, took a look and, by 1977, had developed a proposal of its
own. The Corps' idea was to divert water from the Wood River to the
Platte at a 45 degree angle. Unfortunately, the plan's floodway
would have cut right through the middle of some of the best
farmland in Hall County. Local farmers showed up at a public
meeting to drive home this point and the project was dropped for 10
years.
By the mid-1980s, the counties and the Central Platte NRD decided
it was time to tackle the project again. This time they designed a
plan themselves ensuring that it did not cut through farmland, or
displace homeowners or businesses. In fact, in the end, only one
shed had to be moved. Some fields did have to be shortened, but the
farmers affected didn't have a problem with this new approach. The
revised plan met with "dramatically reduced opposition from local
landowners," Moravek recalled.
With a new plan in tow, county officials called on the Corps again.
Taking the plan under consideration, the Corps worked on it for
almost 10 years.
"We kept pressuring them," Moravek said, and they eventually came
up with a final plan in 1996. What took so long was that any plan
that wants federal and state funding must meet stringent economic,
technical and environmental criteria, Moravek explained. The price
tag was $17.7 million to be divided among the federal government,
Nebraska state government, the Central Platte NRD, the city of
Grand Island, Hall County and Merrick County.
By 2000, as much as 30 percent of Grand Island's corporate limits
were in the Wood River floodplain. "This included 3,500 houses plus
businesses," noted Chad Nabity, Hall County regional planning
director. Time was running out.
Construction started in early 2001. Five new bridges had to be
built because water was going to be diverted to places where it had
never gone before. Then in 2002-2003, the main floodway, a
five-mile-long channel, was started. Eventually, 1.7 million cubic
yards of soil were removed and replaced as five-foot-tall berms on
each side of the floodway. The berms were set back 20 feet from the
water to allow for seepage and wetlands. A two-mile-long levee was
also built on the south side of the diversion which redirects other
potential flood waters away from Grand Island.
Describing it as a "very safe project," Moravek noted that "all of
the 100-year flows are contained below the natural ground line, and
the berms exceed FEMA's three-foot freeboard requirement for levee
certification." Nabity added that although some homeowners may
still be in the floodplain, their base flood elevation has dropped
by as much as three feet. Many flood insurance policies were
converted from "high" risk to "minimal" risk, and a large number of
homeowners were no longer required to carry flood insurance by
their lending institutions.
The project was completed in 2004, and actually came in below
budget, Moravek said. Final cost was $15.5 million, $2.2 million
less than the Corps' original estimate of $17.7 million.
Participant outlays broke down like this:
Federal Contributions $10.075 million
State Contributions $3.255 million
Central Platte NRD $955, 312
City of Grand Island $781,562
Hall County $244,125
Merrick County $200,000
Moravek added: "This was the first project the Corps had done in
this money range where homes or businesses were not displaced. We
pride ourselves on this."
Project Perks
Along with flood protection, the Wood River project features
recreational opportunities and wildlife habitat preservation. The
project's co-sponsors agreed to allow Grand Island to develop a
hike-bike trail within the project's boundaries. The trail runs
along the western and southern edges of Stuhr Museum and crosses
the bottom of the diversion channel. It then connects to Hall
County Park at South Locust Street and continues on to Highway
34.
"This is what has been completed," Nabity explained. "The plan is
to continue the trail all the way to the Platte - another two and a
half miles."
The diversion had minimal environmental impact, Moravek said. "The
entire project is maintained as wildlife habitat. We now have 500
acres of new habitat which we don't mow," he explained. "There are
at least 57 native species of grasses and forbs (broad-leaved
herbaceous plants)."
In addition, a five-acre wetland was preserved near Stuhr Museum
which is used as an educational tool. "We host up to 20,000 school
children a year," Oshlo noted. "Last summer we had 350 boy scouts
from five states and two countries here earning their merit badges
doing things like bird and plant identification. We use the
wetlands, along with the rest of our facility, for classes in
summer and winter."
Noting that in the post-Katrina era, structural flood control is
increasingly viewed in a negative light, Steve McMaster, a
planner-coordinator with the Department of Natural Resources, noted
the Wood River Diversion project was an undertaking in which all
parties benefited. "What the Wood River Diversion represents is not
only effective flood loss mitigation, but it is also a project
which has created environmental and recreational benefits," he
said. "It is hard to imagine a better win-win scenario for a flood
control project." First Test in 2005 The Wood River Diversion
Project's first test came when it was only one year old. A total of
7.21 inches of rain fell between 7 a.m. May 11 and 7 a.m. May 12,
2005. Project sponsors held their breath as the water accumulated
but later celebrated as the diversion worked exactly as planned,
redirecting water away from Grand Island and Stuhr Museum, and
sending it along its own personal floodway directly into the
Platte. The Army Corps of Engineers determined the diversion
project saved $23.7 million in damages. Since the project cost
$15.5 million, it saved homeowners and insurance companies over $8
million after just one flood.
Oshlo was happy to report that he rebuilt Stuhr Museum's Earth
Lodge himself and it is now again open to the public. He also
mentioned that while excavating the old spoil bank levee protecting
Hall County Park from flooding, workers discovered a large iron
wheel which turned out to be from an old grist mill that used to be
located on museum property. Museum workers cleaned it up and now
the wheel is on display at the museum as a reminder of the
community's history.
"The Stuhr Museum is a jewel of Grand Island," Oshlo added. "Now,
the berms on our south boundary let high water that used to drain
right through museum property flow through the diversion project.
Grand Island has invested a lot of money over the years to support
Stuhr Museum. For it to wash down the river would be devastating to
everyone. The Wood River Diversion Project was a cooperative effort
and it was a wonderful experience for us. They did so much to
assist the museum."
Randall L. Behm, chief of the Flood Risk and Floodplain Management
Section of the Army Corps of Engineers' Hydrologic Engineering
Branch, worked on the diversion plan and described it as a "very
good project for the city of Grand Island and a portion of Hall
County."
"Flood risks from the Wood River have been substantially reduced
with implementation of this project," Behm said, "and no homes or
businesses were relocated in the process. While fruition of this
project wasn't without frustration, the benefits from eliminating
flood damages through the community have already been seen."
Michael Meyer, floodplain administrator for Merrick County,
described this spring?s heavy rains as "a big test," which the
diversion project passed with flying colors. "It has helped with
the high water troubles we've had with the Wood River," Meyer
explained. "It kept some water from going through Merrick County.
This spring there was high water in the Wood River but not nearly
like it was before."
Nabity noted that new floodplain maps for Hall County went into
effect on Sept. 26, 2008, and changes resulting from the Wood River
Diversion have been incorporated. "This is a very important thing,"
he explained. "Our maps had been approved by a letter of map
revision. The new floodplain, resulting from the diversion, was
drawn on the old maps but they were not widely distributed. We
still had people who were buying houses and looking at maps that
hadn't been updated calling in a panic because their bank wanted
them to buy flood insurance. This won't happen now that we have the
new maps."
Nabity estimated that between 3,500 and 4,000 structures were no
longer located in a floodplain once the diversion project was
completed in 2004. Community response has been positive, according
to both Moravek and Nabity. "In the last two months, I?ve had three
people in my office telling me the diversion project was a good
thing. They said they were against it in the beginning but now
they?re really glad we did it," Nabity recalled. "Last night I was
at a picnic and five people came up to me and said it was a really
good project," Moravek said. "There has been a lot of positive
feedback."
McMaster added, "The project has paid for itself already through
avoided flood losses. Keep in mind that these savings do not
include the more intangible benefits such as recreational
opportunities and increased environmental habitat." Nabity had
advice for communities facing flooding challenges and long-term
projects. "Stick with it. This project started in 1968. They don't
happen quickly but when they're finished your community will
benefit. You'll be saving money; you'll have additional areas for
wildlife habitat; you'll have space for hike and bike trails; you
won't have any flood clean up; but most of all, you?ll have peace
of mind knowing you are safe from flooding."
Gloria Bucco is a public information officer with the Nebraska
Department of Natural Resources' Floodplain Management Section.
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