Assistance planned for Zap’s flood concerns
By Daniel Arens
When water comes fast, people take notice.
Most of the time, living on a lake or near a river is simply a fact of life for those who live there. Sometimes a scenic view or a boat trip reminds them of how lucky they are to live where they do.
But sometimes living near water can prove unlucky. In 2009, Mercer County got a taste of that, as a major flood along the Knife River struck Beulah and other areas of the county hard.
Since then, people at all levels of the local, state and federal governments have been looking for a way to address the threat of future flooding through a major study. The results of that study are mixed, especially regarding Beulah, where the cost-benefit analysis currently shows flood control plans as being either too expensive to implement or not have enough of a benefit to justify the price.
