[AT] Farm flooding update California - new info

David Bruce tractor57 at gmail.com
Sun Feb 5 09:23:11 PST 2017


I remember that very well. We were trying to find a route from 
Burlington to Edenton during that mess. A few days later when I returned 
to Burlington water was still trapped by the improved US 64.

David

NW NC


On 2/4/2017 6:14 PM, charlie hill wrote:
> All of the flooding here in eastern NC since 1999 was if not
> completely caused by the state and federal government at least
> made much worse by their actions.  What happened here is
> that over the years the state built new highways and instead of
> bridging over the natural flood plains of the rivers and creeks
> they dammed them up with fill dirt only bridging the actual bodies
> of water.  In many places along all the major rivers in the eastern
> half of this state there are dams in the form of highways that are sometimes
> as much as several miles long and 20 feet or more high.
> Weather runs in cycles.  Starting about 1999 we went back to a cycle of
> storms and rains similar to what we had in the early 1950's.  Back then
> there
> were floods along the water sheds but when those conditions returned (first
> in
> late 1999) the flooding was twice as bad (deep) as ever before in history.
> Since
> that 99 - 2000 flood we have had several others that were not as bad but far
> exceeded
> the floods of the 50's.  The government knows full well they are
> responsible.
> They don't admit it BUT now the new roads are built by bridging the entire
> width of
> the body of water and it's watershed (swamp).  Also, in the environmental
> impact study
> of a planned highway near our farm, the construction of a new bridge
> requires the old
> bridge and it's road bed across the flood plain to be removed.  If that
> isn't an admission i
> don't know what is.
>
> Charlie
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Mike M
> Sent: Saturday, February 04, 2017 3:40 PM
> To: Antique tractor email discussion group
> Subject: Re: [AT] Farm flooding update California - new info
>
> Probably not in Grants situation Dave, but local governments can
> definitely cause flooding problems through lack of proper planning and
> poorly engineered drainage systems. Approving a Walmart with a giant
> impermeable asphalt parking lot on what used to be farm land is an
> example. Where the water flows and how it's routed is the job of
> engineers with the county drain commission.  If that water runs into the
> drains, and because of a poorly designed system, floods my house, that
> is the counties fault.  When I was about 15 a had a friend who's dad
> built a new house on a lot they owned. Behind our house and theirs was
> an old gravel pit and woods. A developer bought the land and added on to
> our subdivision. Obviously the plan had to be approved by the local
> government and it was, and the road was built and completed along with
> drains. They didn't change the grade of the land at all, just cleared
> the trees, smoothed the gravel and installed the road. During the first
> heavy rain we received after the road was installed the new road created
> a giant river. The drains couldn't catch the water fast enough, and a
> river of water filled my friends basement with about 3' of sand. The
> county had to pick up the tab for cleanup, repair and had to install
> additional drains so that wouldn't happen again. Engineering failure,
> human error, it happens.
>
> Mike M
>
>
>
> On 2/4/2017 2:43 PM, Dave wrote:
>> I'm a bit confused here. Can someone please explain how the flood happened
>> “because of neglect on the part of the state.” Thanks!
>> Dave
>>
>>> On Feb 4, 2017, at 2:22 PM, Mike M <meulenms at gmx.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> That's a good idea Steve, wonder if there is a way for Grant to "find"
>>> his dirt and put it back.  Many times talking to the crews doing the
>>> work is much more effective than asking city hall.
>>>
>>> Mike M
>>>
>>>
>>> On 2/4/2017 2:08 PM, Steve W. wrote:
>>>> Grant Brians wrote:
>>>>> Well, here is the updated info on our flooding here. I don't usually
>>>>> post when I am sad, but this morning I am. Yesterday I was able to
>>>>> finally look at just how bad the flood damage was to our farm from the
>>>>> Pacheco Creek flooding. We have a 6 foot deep gully that is up to 30
>>>>> feet wide through two of our most productive fields! In addition the
>>>>> remainder of one of those two is covered with a layer of rocks from the
>>>>> flood. I am just trying to figure out whether there is some way to fix
>>>>> this economically. We shall see. Over 40 acres of land damaged there in
>>>>> those two fields. I was taking video last night and can't post that,
>>>>> but
>>>>> I am attaching a picture that shows where they are on the edge of the
>>>>> open water where one creek heads into the lake. Every part of this
>>>>> picture with water except for the creek beds is normally fields,
>>>>> pastures and homes....
>>>>>                  Grant Brians - Hollister,California farmer of
>>>>> vegetables
>>>>> (and floods?)
>>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>>>
>>>> Sounds like the damage that happened to the neighbors field when it
>>>> flooded because of neglect on the part of the state. You may want to
>>>> talk to any of the crews that are doing repairs to things like roads,
>>>> bridges and such. The farm up the road had his fields all restored as
>>>> part of the repair process. They even added some "extra" land when they
>>>> moved the creek back into the original channel from the 60's.
>>>>
>>>> Didn't cost him directly at the time out of pocket as the repairs came
>>>> out of the state funding. So he got a lot of his own money back.
>>>>
>>>>
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