Elkader river wall to be repaired with FEMA funds

ELKADER - A rock river wall on Elkader's North Main Street will be repaired with Federal Emergency Management funds.

Earlier this year, the City Council approved rebuilding the wall that was destroyed in last year's flooding, with local funds at a cost of $118,000.

FEMA originally declined to fund the project, stating that it was a flood wall and that it was not properly maintained. City Council members then went ahead and approved paying for the wall reconstruction, which is behind several downtown businesses on the river bank.

FEMA later notified the council that funding might be available if the reconstruction of the wall is historically accurate.

The council recently received an official FEMA offer to pay for the entire project with an additional $140,000 added for a rock face on the wall, which will mirror the original structure.

The wall was built in the early 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps.

-By Pat McTaggart, News correspondent