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Record The Putnam County
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Putnam County’s Only Newspaper
Volume 145 No. 33
“PRSRT STD.” US Postage Paid No. 486 SHAW MEDIA POSTAL PATRON LOCAL R.R. BOXHOLDER CARRIER ROUTE PRESORT
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Flooding on April 19 on County Road 1250 East north of Granville cause a mudslide that endangered the driveway of resident Joe Smoode.
Putnam County Record photos/Ken Schroeder
Putnam County students take advantage of a day off school to enjoy some flooded roads April 19. The National Weather Service reported about 5 inches of rain had fallen during the previous 24 hours.
Many roads across Putnam County were either closed or partially submerged underwater after an overnight storm dropped about five inches of rain on the county April 18.
A river runs through it ... Flooding causes traffic problems and property damage By Ken Schroeder kschroeder@putnamcountyrecord.com
Rain-gorged ground couldn’t take any more rain April 18, and roads and ditches flooded to dangerous levels throughout the morning in Putnam County. Schools closed as many highways and secondary roads were flooded. The National Weather Service reported about 5 inches of rain had fallen during the pre-
vious 24 hours. “We’ve had a lot of flooding throughout the area,” said Putnam County Sheriff Kevin Doyle. “I couldn’t tell you how many secondary roads are underwater. Most routes to Magnolia are closed. Route 89 down to the Illinois River is closed due to a mudslide.” North of Granville on County Road 1250 East, a large portion of mud and pavement were
Putnam County Library announces 75th anniversary programs Library to hold free monthly programs through December By Dixie Schroeder dschroeder@putnamcountyrecord.com
HENNEPIN – The Putnam County Library District was created in 1938 as a county library, only the second in the state. This month marks the 75th anniversary of the library, and the district is planning on celebrating by providing nine months of spe-
cial programs for the community at different library locations each month. A committee was formed to develop programs for the celebration, and Putnam County Library District Manager Bobbie Morgan said former library manager Randi Dellatori played a part.
See Programs Page 3
torn loose from the overflow of water, leaving culverts and phone cable exposed and endangering the driveway of resident Joe Smoode. “If we can’t do something soon, it’s going to collapse,” Smoode said. Several short stretches along Routes 71 and 89 were treacherous due to water covering one or both lanes, and water run-off from farms and small streams
became fast-moving torrents. In Granville, the quiet little drainage ditch winding through town became a virtual river with standing water in several yards feeding into the fast-running stream. No estimate is available yet for the amount of property damage due to the flooding, but the resulting soil erosion following last year’s drought is not going to be good news for local farmers. Water levels are beginning to drop around the area, and the
Granville takes on compost piles By Ken Schroeder kschroeder@putnamcountyrecord.com
GRANVILLE – The bulk of the April 16 meeting of the Granville Village Board concerned blockage of running water due to a pile of yard waste in a resident’s yard. The matter was brought before the board during last month’s meeting when resident Bob Borri reported water was backing up into his yard due to a pile of debris in his neighbor’s yard. A letter informing the resident of the complaint was written by village
attorney Charles Helmig, which was served to the resident by Police Chief Kevin Moore. Moore said the owner of the property explained the water should be flowing through his property and running downhill. However, the pile of brush is being used by the resident to stop erosion in his yard, which is causing water back-up in surrounding yards. Borri intends to build a pool in his yard, but he said that due to the piles of compost, he often has standing water in his backyard.
“This is affecting more than just one home,” Moore said. “This is impacting four homes and adding to the problem. One house has too much foliage, which is killing the grass in the yard of the neighbor behind him. When he gets rain, it washes his dirt down the hill into the fence, around the fence and into the back of Borri’s yard.” Moore said the resident’s defense was that the fence on his property is what’s diverting the flow of the water, but it’s diverting it into the ditch
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weather forecast is predicting mostly sunshine, but possible showers could mean more flooding to come. On April 18, the National Weather Service changed the forecast from moderate to record severity for the Illinois River at Henry, affecting Putnam and Marshall counties. At 11:45 a.m. April 18, the river was at 22.5 feet, 6 inches below flood state. The river was expected to crest between 33 and 35 feet.
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in front of his home. In an effort to fix the problem, the resident has moved part of the pile, but according to Borri, he didn’t move it very far. “He moved it 10 feet. But in a 170-foot pile, that’s not much,” said Borri. Evidence showed the fences surrounding the resident’s property have built up with sludge and compost, which is having an effect on the flow of water, but while current statutes prohibit changing the natural flow of
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