Winds of Change Newsletter, December 2005     See sidebar for table of contents

Where's the money for the Island Creek flood project?

By J.D. CHARLES, Oct. 27, Logan Banner

OMAR- It's an old, yellowed clipping from a newspaper (which) reads in part, "The Logan County Commission has scheduled a briefing from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the Island Creek flood protection project. Described will be the proposed project that would widen Island Creek for a distance of seven-tenths of a mile from the mouth at Guyandotte River to just beyond Coopers Mine Fork. This plan is to widen the creek bed to 80 feet. This problem was overcome when the Logan County Commission agreed to provide sponsorship. The projected project cost is approximately $18 million shared with the federal government paying 75 percent of the cost and the Logan County Commission funding 25 percent. If the plan is approved construction could begin on the project in the spring of 2002."

"I was looking through some of the clippings of some of these things, and it is typical," said Island Creek activist Moss Burgess, who has followed the issue for years. Burgess wants to know where the money has gone that was appropriated for the project - which still has not seen fruition yet.

…Burgess said he and other residents of Island Creek have been trying to keep the issue alive and in the public eye to see if they can get help.

"We are getting letters from (senators Robert C.) Byrd and (Jay) Rockefeller," Burgess explained.

"We want to see just where the money is. Byrd sent a letter saying he appropriated $300,000 for an early warning system for Island Creek to at least let people know to get out of their homes. Some of our worst floods were at night time and a lot of things were lost that did not need to be lost. We wonder what happened to the money."

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Burgess and OVEC members in the area worry that mountaintop removal is making flooding in there area worse.