Stranger Creek danger rising near Linwood
A Leavenworth County creek’s erosion is putting property and roadways at risk. Enlarge video
A little more than a decade ago, Linwood resident Bill Jones could look out to his back yard and see an 80-foot storage shed just along Stranger Creek.
Now when he gazes to the back of his property, he has to make sure what’s left of the shed hasn’t fallen into the creek and floated on to the nearby Kansas River.
“Every time there is a heavy rain, we get a really high water and the creek floods; it just washes the bank out,” Jones said. “The banks are nothing but sand so when it comes down heavy it just washes it out.”
For more than 20 years, Stranger Creek has been wreaking havoc near the small Leavenworth County town. As water in the creek works its way from the north part of the county to the Kansas River, it has begun carving a new path that has put private and public property at risk.
“We’ve had one street get washed out by the creek and that’s after we lost a bridge,” said Mike Dunivan, Linwood city council member. “Now we have to drive three miles out of our way to get across the creek. If the bank keeps eroding it’s going to put our public works building in danger.”
Shortly after 1999, the creek took out the bridge connecting Sixth Street and Golden Road. By 2006, a bulge in the creek was encroaching on Thompson Street between Third and Sixth streets, completely destroying it by 2009.
That street’s been closed.
Through the years, Dunivan said, the city has tried to get help for the erosion problem.
Northeast of Linwood, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is working on a project in conjunction with the Kansas Department of Transportation to fix the erosion problem near a bridge over Stranger Creek on Kansas Highway 32.
Maj. Jeff Shultz, with the corps’ Kansas City district, visited Linwood to assess the erosion problem and said similar projects to fix erosion have cost $500,000 to $800,000.
Photo Gallery
Stranger Creek through the years
Stranger Creek's erosion is putting property and roadways at risk.
The problem is, the corps can’t do any more work in the area until it has a partner willing to pay 35 percent of the project cost.
Even if the federal government finances 65 percent of the project, Dunivan knows the city couldn’t come up with the $175,000 to $280,000 needed for its share. But Dunivan is hopeful the city can obtain grants.
The city has tried in the past to solve the problems the creek causes for the community.
Corps officials said that in 2003 the city applied for a permit to build a series of erosion control/bank stabilization weirs on the west side of Stranger Creek, but the project failed “due to a lack of funding and cooperation from residents in that area.”
Because it couldn’t find matching funds to help with the bank stabilization, city staff began using construction fill to shore up the bank near the public works building — until the Kansas Department of Health and Environment said the fill they were using couldn’t be used because it washed into the Kansas River.
Comments
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maxcrabb (anonymous) says…
Yeah, not what I expected AT ALL from the headline...
BruceWayne (anonymous) says…
although I am sure the author thought it was a cute little play on words, does anyone proof this before it goes to print? Guess the author doesn't have children.
snap_pop_no_crackle (anonymous) says…
The cutesy headline writer strikes again.
yankeevet (anonymous) says…
Stranger Danger???????????????/ story about a creek????????
I_Bejewel (anonymous) says…
Wonder how long they brainstormed before coming up with that headline?
agrabass (anonymous) says…
...so this headline creator should look into a job with O.P.I creating nail polish color names. The current position they hold is a waste of talent!!
overthemoon (anonymous) says…
agrabass...Not too many will get your comment, but I do and its pretty funny!
I think the journal world editing desk is being run by a bunch of junior high school interns.
morganlefay (anonymous) says…
Sorry, but I don't feel sorry for these folks. Try living out in Easton where it floods everytime it rains. Next time LJWorld wants a sympathy story talk to the residents there. I guess Linwood made the cut because it's a bigger community?! Whatever.
morganlefay (anonymous) says…
Sorry, but I don't feel sorry for these folks. Try living out in Easton where it floods everytime it rains. Next time LJWorld wants a sympathy story talk to the residents there. I guess Linwood made the cut because it's a bigger community?! Whatever.
rcb187 (anonymous) says…
Rivers do change course from time to time....
Wallythewalrus (anonymous) says…
Government built bridge washed out at 6th st. Railroad bridge at same location still standing.
gccs14r (anonymous) says…
Erosion happens. It's foolhardy to place "permanent" structures next to water. The water wins, eventually.
Mixolydian (anonymous) says…
Obviously it's a result of the tsunami. Linwood is where it finally ended up.
puddleglum (anonymous) says…
prolly same reason you hate him...
SofaKing (anonymous) says…
Other headline options:
The Dangerous Leaks of Stranger Creek
The Creeping of Stranger Creek
Stranger Creek Swallows Linwood
ClaroAtaxia (anonymous) says…
+100 points for including the awesome aerial photos.
imastinker (anonymous) says…
I can see what they are worried about - all that meth in the river would be pretty bad!