Don’t dredge the Elkhart River

Opinion

July 23, 2009

Anonymous The Goshen News Thu Jul 23, 2009, 11:28 AM EDT

The Goshen City Council has condemned the effort of the Noble County Commissioners to have the upper reaches of the Elkhart River dredged and channelized. We think that is the right stance to take.

Yet, the council’s opposition is based on supposition, that being that to alleviate flooding in the West Lakes area of Noble County, water will be moved quickly downstream, thus to Goshen, and cause more flooding here.

This drain issue has come up before but was defeated in Noble County through a lawsuit. To resolve the issue for good, we recommend Noble County and Elkhart County officials establish a joint commission to study the hydrology issues involved. The commission should also have representatives from Goshen and Ligonier and the townships along the river, citizens groups as well as the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Perhaps something as simple as clearing fallen trees from the river will help the West Lakes problem. But nobody really knows now.

One thing is obvious, and that is building in the river’s floodplain should cease. Allowing someone to build a home near the river or its tributaries is just bad planning. A house built on high ground just outside the floodplain may seem safe, but as the climate changes flooding may increase, putting such homes in jeopardy. Local weather, and the overall climate, is in flux. This climate uncertainty should be a factor in considering the accuracy of floodplain maps.

Anyone who has watched the Elkhart River over the decades here in Goshen knows the water level fluctuates widely. Goshen officials have allowed the construction of two major retail centers, Linway Plaza and Chicago-Pike Plaza, to be built in the floodplain just above the flood level. Also, as recently as the construction of the Bob Evans Restaurant next to the river, city officials have allowed such construction. This is folly. The river will rise and at some point in the future the level will surpass the historic flooding we have had here in the city.

Goshen certainly does not need more water coming down the river more quickly, as dredging the upper river might cause. But again, we are only going on the logic of the problem, not a scientific study of the river’s hydrology.

And not to be discounted is our concern that dredging in any manner would be ruinous to fish and wildlife habitat. The Elkhart River above the dam in Goshen is almost pristine, with gravel runs, grassy banks and wetlands. The river and its wetlands are also home to beavers, otters, a great blue heron rookery and they provide habitat to countless species of birds, mammals and fish that have long disappeared from the surrounding farmland. In other words, nothing should be done to threaten this sanctuary for wildlife.

Until a scientific study says dredging and straightening the upper river will help alleviate flooding in the lakes area, yet cause no harm downstream, the Noble County Commissioners should not attempt to have the river declared a drain.

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