French Broad hustler and Western Carolina Democrat. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1915-1916, 1916-01-20
Plan TO DRAIN MUD CREEK
GREAT BENEFIT TO. THIS CITY
1900 ACRES ACRES RECLAIMED
LAND OWNERS HAVE PETITIONED,
COURT TO CARRY OUT PLANS
OF BILL PASSED IN THE
LAST LEGISLATURE.

A plan by which some of the vArr
pest farming lands in Hendarsos,
county are to be brought into nrin1a
state for cultivation is being WORKED
out by local parties. -
Cnder a legislative act any COM
ntunlty may on petition of Dronerfv
n"ioers interested establish a drain
age district. Acting under tbis me-
vision of law, w G. Jordan and ofba..
property holders owning land aIona
Mud Creek and its tributaries ali S.,
East Hendersonville township. made
application to the Clerk of the S1ne-
flor court for the appointment of an
engineer and two viewers" for fha
purpose OF creating drainage dis
Itlct. u. w. Justice was appoinfee
civil engineer and O.E. Blythe, of Mills
RIVER. and l.. p. Pittillo of the Fruit.
land section were appointed viewers
Recently the preliminary report of
these officials was filed with tha
clerk of the court and was favorahIe
TO the project. The court on receiy-
ing the favorable report ordered the
engineer and viewers to make a flrth-
| er and more detailed report of condi
tons, which must include a complete1
survey, plans and specifications of ali
proposed improvements This second
report must be in the hands of the
clerk not later than sixty DAYS after
the preliminary survey has been
| filed. The officers appointed BY the
court are at work now on the second
survey and expect to have the material
IN hand before the time allowances fs
/ exhausted.
] In the preliminary report as fled
| with the clerk, the petitioners pro
pose to establish drainage district
known as Mud Greek Drainage Dis
trict in Henderson county. -
! In the report. it is set out that after
/ a preliminary survey had been made
the scheme to drain Mud Creek. and
tributaries, was found to be both feas
lble and practicable, and will be of
great value to land owners Further,
! IL is attested to that not only the pro-
perty holders along these streams will
be benefited, but that the whole city
OF Hendersonville will feel beneficial
results. because of the fact, that at
present the stagnant water to be found
at all times within the boundaries OF
! the proposed district. is a constant
iqiitoes are always present where wa
ter is permitted to remain stagnant
In addition to this feature the report
] asserts that by deeping and widening
/ the canal it will remove a standing
menace to the health of the town in
| the widened and deepened waterway to
| be created.
Another feature Of the report is
: hu
constant and damaging overfoW
along Mud Greek and tributaries vii
/ be eliminated. The canal and branch
proposed will be made of sufficient di
mentions to take care of a. tremen-
| dously increased volume of water,
such as covered the bottom lands
along Mud Creek after the recent
storm. Also, the damage and incon-
venience caused to public highways by
! reason of constantly being overf1oWed,
the surveyors believe will be done
away with entirely if the project goes
/ through. 1t is pointed out further
that property holders planting imme-
diately on the banks of the proposed
canal need not fear reDetitions of those
damaging foods which have hitherto
made planting there a risk. There
ed from the carrying cut Of the canal
project, but in the main those set out
. above cover the more important points
! In area and in the quality of land
embraced under the proposed plan,
nothing even remotely approaching1t
, has ever been undertaken in Hender-
son county The engineers survey
shows that the proposed district viii
embrace Mud Greek proper, and the
Devils fork, and the Bats Wood fork
of Mud Greek, as well as some lands
lying along smaller tributaries One
may grasp the extent of the undertake
ing when one is informed that the
survey covers a distance of more than
thirteen miles lying along Mud Greek
and its tributaries. In this is includ
ed more than 1900 acres Of the very
best bottom land to be found in the
county, lying directly, or nearly so.
along the water-courses mentioned
The benefits of good drainage, Of
course, will be felt for some consider
able distance from the water-course.
but these lands are not included in
the total acres coming under the sur
vey's report It is set out in the first
report, that Mud Creek will have to be
deepened and widened for a distance
of approximately two and half
miles. Also, new Water-course