Water gone, repair work remains

The flood season appears to be behind us this spring and there were no reports of private property damage in Gallatin County.

However, the rural road systems are in need of repair. Equality Township employee Steve Reynolds has had a busy time clearing logs and debris from flooded roadways. Now he is concentrating of areas of erosion. He said concrete blocks seem to shore up the road embankments the most securely.

There is another problem involving thievery and mud bog enthusiasts. He said 12 signs warning of water over the roadway have been stolen this spring, probably for salvage. Replacing the signs is expensive and laborious. In some areas off-road enthusiasts have taken advantage of saturated ground to spin their tires and cause more erosion.

The heaviest rains came before some areas of bare hillsides - such as the mine reclamation area on Carnahan Road - had a chance to grow stabilizing grass. The result was roads covered in mud and ditches becoming filled with mud, no longer able to channel water.