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OT flooding creek, what to do

M

morgan in ar

Member
There is a good size creek running through the farm,
about the size of a two lane road. In some states,
it would be a river. Many years ago, Grandad and his
brother directed the creek in a straight line, and
drained the bottom fields. Anymore, Everytime it
rains big, the creek gets filled with gravel. Then,
it gets wider and shallower. It's starting to set
swampy around, and flood with just an inch or two of
rain. I am fairly certain that my mom's house will
flood this weekend.
It gets worse every time a new development goes
in anywhere around. They engineer these
neighborhoods not to flood, but they just dump it on
us. It doesn't seem right.
From what I understand, I can't do anything to fix
the creek anymore. I hope I am wrong, but I believe
it is all epa protected now. Does anyone know where
to start or who to talk to? My cousin has looked
into nrcs grants, but it sounds like that we are
then responsible for fixing it to their standards if
it washes out again.
Thanks
 
Don't know how things are in Arkansas,but in Michigan we have a county drain commissioner who's job is to take care of things like that.
 
Its too late to try to do anything now I'd say. If you're near me, in N. Central AR, we're expecting up to 12 inches of rain by Saturday. I just read the White River at Calico Rock is supposed to crest sometime Sunday at 32 feet.

Having said that, were it me I'd look into building some kind of levee along your creek, and definitely apply for the NRCS grants. It's my understanding they will pay to fix any erosion on your place, and I would think that if it was fixed right in the first place, you wouldn't have to come back and fix it again in your lifetime. And why couldn't you fix your creek? I know several around here have. All it would take is a little backhoe work.

I know I haven't been any help, but I do feel your pain. My land lays on both sides of Barren Fork Creek, which is about the same size as yours, and I fully expect it to get up far enough to get into the creek barn, and tear out every water gate along it. Hang in there bud.
Good luck,

Mac
 
Morgan in ar- here, in Kentucky, we have to go through the Army Corps. of Engineers, then Dept. of Natural Resources for a project like that.
 
I am in NW AR, we expect 8". It may be a load of manure, but I have been told that I'm not even supposed to get a bucket of gravel out of the creek to put on my driveway these days.
 
(quoted from post at 15:05:35 04/28/17) Don't know how things are in Arkansas,but in Michigan we have a county drain commissioner who's job is to take care of things like that.
Click to expand...

That don't work well in my county!!!!!!!!!
 
This isn't the time for long range planning, do what you can to protect your mom's house this weekend.

After this crisis is over, drive up and down the creek to see what is happening on other properties, maybe other creeks too. It's possible that the creek is returning to it's natural condition regardless of what the new developments are doing. Try to work with your county, some counties have well coordinated drainage districts with good funding for improvements and some have nothing so it's every property owner for himself.
 
I would start with your county engineer he/she will know what to advise as to who is responsible for that water way.
 
You will be able to get a view of the FEMA flood plain map, if there is one, by contacting FEMA or your local flood control agency. It may be a State agency. It may be county. I'd start at the county commissioners office. The map will show you exactly where the 100 year and the 500 year flood plain boundaries are. IF you can get the correct flood map number, it is all online.
 
Check with DNR if you have one. Here in Missouri they at one time issued permits for gravel mining out of the creeks then it got to the point that as long as you did it there way they no longer wanted to deal with permits and they let people do it as they see fit. I did that up til la few years ago but then a judge did a ruling that was to me illegal since I had no say and now I cannot take gravel out of the creek which causes me to have flooding problems. If I had the $$ I would fight it but sadly now days it takes to much $$ to fight the courts since most have gotten so corrupt
 
I never heard of a drain commissioner in Arkansas. I farm along a small river in N Arkansas too. I'm not allowed to do anything to disturb the river without written permission from the corp of engineers. But that has to do with scenic river and an endangered species. From what you are describing there might be some exceptions.
There is over 7000 square miles of Missouri that drains within a mile of my house and along my farm. Sometimes you just have to deal with what mother nature throws at you.
 
You will probably find that the federales will levy enormous fines if you do anything to improve it.

Good luck.

Dean
 
Same trouble here dad brought the farm in 1955 flooded every year we took and diked in the farm 58 acres got a lot of dirt from a new pond down the road the rest got pushed up pipe through the dike and pto pumps work for us. If we want to flood for hunting could get funding to pay for it . My son and Mother couldnt deal with that paid for it ourselfs .
 
I guess there is some kind of watershed athourity nearby I could talk to. My impression of them has been they are more worried about too much fertilizer being spread, and that everything out of town should return to an unimproved state for the people in subdivisions to enjoy driving by. Maybe I'm wrong.
 
First, talk to someone at the county Extension Service. They probably know the agency you'll need to talk to.
Stay as far away as possible from the Arkansas Department of Environmental (Ine)Quality (ADEQ) unless you know the right person to pay off to get what you need (a large hog farm comes to mind :roll: ).
BillL
 
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