Options proposed for Beulah flood concerns
By Daniel Arens
Several ideas were thrown around at the Mercer County Water Board meeting to help determine how flood issues in western Beulah can be resolved.
New developments west of Highway 49 and south of 7th St. NW have led to the building of a private gravel road to access those properties. The developments are situated on top of a hill. When rains come, gravel from the road is washed down the hill, clogging existing culverts and causing flood concerns for the Beulah bus barn parking lot and some neighboring residences.
Adding to the complication of this issue is the fact that, of the properties in question, some are under the jurisdiction of the city, some of the county, and some of the land is owned by the state Department of Transportation. The city of Beulah has helped deal with individual incidents, but the overall solution will likely demand responses from several entities.
Water Board Members Casey Voigt and Ruth Julson, as well as Mercer County Commissioner Wes Gunsch, had examined the affected area and provided advice and recommendations to the rest of the board.
Gunsch suggested looking at tipping the slope of the road near the bus barns. Currently, the surface of the road tilts slightly south, towards the facility, and Gunsch suggested that surface work to tip the slope northward towards an empty field could help relieve much of the flooding issue.
