WEST BRANCH, Iowa — Flooding is a big problem at the birthplace of President Herbert Hoover in West Branch. The National Historic Site is subject to flooding, sometimes several times a year, said Park Superintendent Pete Swiver.
"Every year it gets worse," he said.
A $3.6 million flood mitigation is about to change that. The project kicks off this March, beginning with the removal of about 100 trees along the Hoover Creek's banks.
"When a large storm event event comes to this watershed area, typically what we see, the creek comes up, and it comes up very quickly -- too quick to sandbag and protect from it."
He said after heavy rain fall, flood water comes very close to the Presidential Library Museum and the birth cottage.
The nuisance floods leave dirt, mud, silt residue, forcing park rangers to close the park for several days to clean up after each flooding event. It threatens historic structures.
"We get water that backs up, gets into the basement of the Friends Meeting House, one of the four primary buildings for visitors here [and] it gets very close to the hoover birth cottage itself. So we want to protect those structures.
The project is funded by the National Park Service. A 10.1-acre water detention basin will be build to hold excess water.
The removal of the park's trees is necessary to reconstruct the creek bank, reducing the deep slope.
"What we have today is the [creek banks} are very deep and very steep. We’re gonna go back to a 4 to 1 slope, which will allow the public to see and better understand the connection to a young Hoover boy."
Visitors will be able to come up to the creek and enjoy it the way President Hoover did in his youth, Swisher said. In addition, it will allow more water to be channeled through the creek.
At a community presentation on Sunday afternoon, residents werer relieved to know that for the most part, access the the park would not be impacted.
Karen Maxville, a West Branch resident said she has had to make detours when flooding obstructed her path to walk the dog or exercise.
"Even though we are losing a lot of trees and so forth, those elements will come back. And you'll have a better use of the park," she said.
Swisher said the park has budgeted for at 60 new trees to be planted, with efforts underway to fund 40 more trees and completely replace those trees lost.
The Downey Street Bridge, which was too narrow and restricted water flow, will be removed starting in September. During this period, there would be no access to the Friends Meeting House, Swisher said, while the bridge and the adjacent wall are rebuilt.
"We are gonna reuse that original stone (from the wall) when we rebuild the new wall back," he added.
The entire project is slated for completion in June 2021.