Day 2 of Tree Cutting

This morning was the second day in which Gene Harding and Dave Crawford cleared trees that had fallen across the railroad tracks during or after the storm on July 10.  We cleared several more trees and there are at least three more to but cut up.  We encountered a rattlesnake and a deer.  We never saw the rattle snake but could hear the rattle in the rubbish.  Fortunately the snake was off to the side where we could leave it alone.  The deer was laying in the grass along the right of way and jumped up and ran off as we approached it.

This afternoon, Gene and Sandy Harding rode east from Waterville to check for downed trees and limbs between Waterville and Blue Rapids.  They encountered some small limbs to be cleared away but no fallen trees.

Not knowing that Gene and Sandy had checked the rails between Waterville and Blue Rapids, Dave and Kathy Crawford took an evening ride west from Blue Rapids to Waterville.  That trip wasn't a total waste as they were able to return the sprayer trailer to Waterville.  On their ride they encountered a deer and a small group of turkeys walking between the rails.

Tuttle Creek and Big Blue update:

Tuttle Creek is at 1120 ft (45 ft above multipurpose pool elevation) and still releasing at 25,000 cfs which drops the lake about a foot a day.  The Flood Control Storage Space is now down to 75% of capacity.

The Big Blue River at Blue Rapids is at about 46 ft (20 ft above flood stage).