We have all heard of the repair work being done at Cedar Valley Reservoir, but, have you wondered exactly what they are doing? The rains this spring have been heavy, about 14 inches in the area, about 5 to 6 inches above average. Big floods in 2018 and 2019, washed the area away and if the city didn’t do anything to protect the land, erosion could have spread to the dam.
The city has installed what’s called ‘flexamat’ around the reservoir to protect against erosion and to protect the dam, which supplies the city’s drinking water. It’s like a carpet made of a bunch of little concrete blocks anchored to the ground, with enough space for grass to grow between. The carpet’s first test was this spring’s rain and Wilson says, it’s working.
The project cost a little over $4 million. Garnett brings in about a million dollars a year in taxes. Fortunately, the state of Kansas and FEMA covered about 85% of the cost.
