'It should recover quickly': Council Bluffs cleaning up flooded parks

Crews look to rejuvenate inundated acres of River's Edge Park

Crews look to rejuvenate inundated acres of River's Edge Park

WELL, FIRST, THE FLOODING, NOW THE CLEANUP. THANKS FOR JOINING US. I’M ROB MCCARTNEY. I’M JULIE CORNELL, THE MISSOURI RIVER RETURNS TO ITS BANKS AND LEAVES A MESS ACROSS COMMUNITIES. WE HAVE TEAM COVERAGE OF THE WORK UNDERWAY ALONG THE RIVER MADDIE AUGUSTINE REPORTS FROM LITTLE SIOUX, IOWA, WHERE A CAMPGROUND HAS LOTS OF DAMAGE. FIRST, THOUGH, WE GO LIVE TO KETV NEWSWATCH SEVEN’S ALEX MCLOON LIVE IN COUNCIL BLUFFS AT RIVER’S EDGE PARK. ALEX. ROB. JULIE. IT’S EASY TO SEE DURING THE DAYLIGHT. 90 ACRES BEHIND US OF DEAD OR DORMANT GRASS. SO THE CITY IS MOVING IN TO SEE WHAT THEY CAN DO. THIS WEEK, THE FLOOD RECEDED, SO THE CITY OF COUNCIL BLUFFS IS LOOKING AT WHAT THEY CAN RESEED. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF ALL THIS? IT’S A MESS. AND IT STINKS. THAT HAPPENS MORE OFTEN THAN WE’D LIKE. OUTDOOR ENTHUSIASTS WANT A CLOSER LOOK AT WHAT’S LEFT. JUST A BUNCH OF TRASH AND DEBRIS. YOU CAN SEE HERE THAT 32FT OF FLOOD WATER WASHED UP HERE, FORCING THE CITY TO CLOSE THIS. AND ANOTHER PARK FOR WEEKS WHILE THEY CLEAR UP DEBRIS AND CLEAN OUT CONTAMINANTS LIKE FARM CHEMICALS AND SEWAGE FROM UPSTREAM. I JUST DON’T UNDERSTAND, WHY WOULD YOU PUT A PARK SOMEWHERE WHERE IT ACTUALLY FLOODS? IT SHOULD RECOVER PRETTY RAPIDLY. THE MAYOR SAYS RESERVES WILL COVER THE COST OF CLEANUP. THE CITY HIRED A BOSTON BASED FIRM TO DEVELOP THE WATERFRONT DURING THE 2011 FLOOD. WE KNEW THERE WOULD BE FLOODING THAT WOULD OCCUR. AND SO WE WANTED IT TO, UM, BE A PARK THAT QUICKLY REBOUNDED FROM A FLOOD OCCURRENCE. BUT WALSH SAYS THE CITY DOESN’T SPECIFICALLY BUDGET FOR THIS KIND OF MAINTENANCE. WE TRY TO GET THE BEST GUIDE. WE CAN TO GO FORWARD. BUT, UM, UH, AS WITH ANY ROADMAP, SOMETHING POPS UP. IT’S TOO EARLY TO TELL WHAT SALVAGEABLE, BUT CITY CREWS ARE NOW MOVING IN TO REMOVE DEBRIS HERE AND AT BIG LAKE PARK. ANOTHER BLEMISH LEFT BEHIND BY MOTHER NATURE. YEAH, KIND OF AN EYESORE, BUT NOT FOR LONG. THE MAYOR SAYS 2019 FLOODS THAT HAPPENED HERE. THE CITY WAS ABLE TO RECOVER THE PARK QUICKLY AND THIS TIME AROUND, THEY HOPE SIMPLY HOSING OFF THE GRASS HERE WILL BE ENOUGH TO GET IT GOING AGAIN. SO EXPERT GARDENING SKILLS NEEDED FOR 90 ACRES HER

'It should recover quickly': Council Bluffs cleaning up flooded parks

Crews look to rejuvenate inundated acres of River's Edge Park

First the flooding, now the cleanup. Communities along the Missouri River are clearing out inundating water this week. One of the most visible signs is dead or dormant grass at Tom Hanafan River's Edge Park in Council Bluffs. Mayor Matt Walsh says cleanup should be quick. Crews are moving in to remove debris and clear out contaminants that may have washed downstream, like farm chemicals or sewage."We knew there would be flooding that would occur and so we wanted it to be a park that quickly rebounded from a flood occurrence," Walsh said.Walsh says the city doesn't specifically budget for this kind of maintenance, but that reserves will cover the cost. The city hired a Boston-based firm to develop the waterfront during the 2011 flooding, which had experience with river and lake development.Residents were looking for a close-up view this week. Kelby Bussing flew a drone to spot stagnant water and large debris around the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge."Kind of an eyesore," Bussing said.The mayor says the park recovered quickly after the flood of 2019, and that workers may be able to simply hose off the grass to get the 90 acres to go green again.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa —

Mayor Matt Walsh says cleanup should be quick. Crews are moving in to remove debris and clear out contaminants that may have washed downstream, like farm chemicals or sewage.

"We knew there would be flooding that would occur and so we wanted it to be a park that quickly rebounded from a flood occurrence," Walsh said.

Walsh says the city doesn't specifically budget for this kind of maintenance, but that reserves will cover the cost. The city hired a Boston-based firm to develop the waterfront during the 2011 flooding, which had experience with river and lake development.

Residents were looking for a close-up view this week. Kelby Bussing flew a drone to spot stagnant water and large debris around the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge.

"Kind of an eyesore," Bussing said.

The mayor says the park recovered quickly after the flood of 2019, and that workers may be able to simply hose off the grass to get the 90 acres to go green again.

'It should recover quickly': Council Bluffs cleaning up flooded parks

Crews look to rejuvenate inundated acres of River's Edge Park

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