City of Ottawa Public Works has asked the Corp of Engineers to study the pumping capacity of the pumps that are on the levy system around Ottawa. Public Works Director, Michael Haefele, says the pumps have been there for over 60 years:
A little history for you: The levy system in Ottawa was built after the devastating flood of 1951. Six hundred-sixty-five homes and 243 businesses flooded in Ottawa and 160,000 acres flooded in rural Franklin County. President Eisenhower signed a Flood Bill in 1958 that included money for Pomona Reservoir and the Ottawa Flood Control Projects. Several years of construction followed. The north flood gates were used for the first time in September of 1961 and the Flood Control System was officially dedicated by Governor John Anderson in November of 1962.
