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Page 4 WATER TALK Summer/Fall 1995 rinfiel esients eceive loo elie water during severe storms such as those in 1993. Major flooding has occurred eleven times since the turn of the century. by Jim SeFti, DNR Hydrologist Homeowners in the small town of Springfield, Minnesota, have had to battle.. flooding along the Cottonwood River in Brown County for over one hundred years. Now the tide has turned. In the spring of 1994, fourteen Springfield families chose to move to higher ground. Most of the flood damaged houses were torn down, while. a few of the houses and several garages were removed. The total cost of moving the families was $505,000; over $150,000 less than the original estimate. Lower cost for acquisition and relocation account for the lower cost reduction. The relocation is the combined effort of six agencies: the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Minnesota Department of Emergency Management, the Minnesota Department of Trade and Economic Development, the Minnesota Valley Action Council (MVAC), and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DN>~. In an interview with Marian Schwieger, , Springfield City Clerk, Marian reflected, "We were the first town in the state to go through a program like this as a result of the 1993 floods. For the pilot program to work, all of the agencies' different rules and requirements had. to be gelled together." This was the most difficult part of the whole process. "Springfield is an old town; it was built next to the river because that's where the town's flour mill had to be, and the railroad." With forty-four houses, four public buildings, and one business within the Cottonwood River floodplain, the potential for flood damage has always been high. History has proved this to be true time and time again. Most flooding occurs in early spring as a result of snow melt and thunderstorms. The steep terrain and relatively impermeable soils found in the upper watershed of the Cottonwood River west of Springfield promote rapid runoff of The highest recorded water level in Springfield occurred during the 1969 spring floods. During this flood, emergency levees were constructed along the banks of the river to protect homes. The floods of 1993 almost equaled the 1969 high water record. On June 17, 1993, the Cottonwood River began to rise and eventually topped the 1969 emergency levees. To prevent flooding of homes and business in the downtown area, residents placed sandbags along the levee located on the north side of the river. However, thirteen homes, one business, and a city park, all located south of the river, were heavily damaged. During the 1993 Father's Day flood, a rescue worker helping with the evacuation of homeowners was swept away and almost drowned. . Schwieger said that residents were asked to move after the flood in 1969. And in 1979, the city council offered to check into obtaining federal or state relocating funds to help move the homes to higher ground. Residents asked about the plan said they didn't. want to move elsewhere, however. Schwieger believes there was something different about the flooding in 1993. "People had just gotten their houses cleaned from the flooding on Mother's Day, then they were flooded again on Father's Day. The second time was aback-breaker." ...continued on page 5 Riverside Park in Springfleid near the peak of flooding on June 19,1993. Although damages did occur to the park, they were far bsa than the damages to the nearby residential area..