Flood response key to staying dry

It was nice to read in the June 23 Gazette that the city explained their flood response plans and how the dam was not to blame for the Flood of 2008.

They still say the dam has very little to do with flood control. If that is true, why do they always say it is meant to control a certain water level above the dam for boating, etc.? I say leave the gates open for a month starting now, then see what happens to the river level. It seems that they still wait too long to open the gates as in 2008.

My City Councilman told me the gates were open four days before the flood hit, just like June 2008. What if we had severe rain for the next 10 days? Can't we lower the river level sooner than we now do? Look at how much a new building is and what has happened all along the river. It fills up faster than ever. You have to adjust for all of the new elements out of our control.

Eric Gaster

Cedar Rapids