The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-01-29
COUNTY JOINS
FIGHT TOCURB
RIVER FLOODS
LeveeS Costing $4,000 to
Be Erected Starting in
Few Weeks.

Work on two Marion County
f1ood-control projects, involving eX-
penditure of $15O00O, is expected to
begin within a few weeks.
j. A. Crawley, Works Director OF
the Marion County Federal Emer-
gency Relief Administration, an
nounced today that county engl-
neers have plans for building a
levee on White River from the
Southport-rd to the Marion County
line and for repairing the levee
north OF the city from River Park
to Haverstick Park.
The two projects can be COM
pleted at a cost of approXimatel,
S15O,O0O with the Federal govern
ment bearing approximately 80 per
cent of the expense.
Three hundred relief workers will
be given jobs on the Southpoft-rd
project and approximately 100 more
on the River Park project.
Water Company Project
The two county projects will bring
flood prevention expenditures to al
most S3.500,O00 along White River
within the county's boundaries.
In addition to these two projects
and to a $1,000 project within the
city, the indianapolis Water Co. is
building a new levee, and repairing
its old levee, near 71-st-st, south to
the White River.
Although not as large an outlay IN
money is involved as in the $1,000
600 opening of the Kentucky-av
bridge bottle-neck, which begins to-
morrow under FERA, the South
port-rd bridge project will be oene-
fetal in protecting hundreds OF
acres of farm land along the White
River south of the old covered
bridge on the SouChport-rd.
In turn, the River Park levee re-
pair will be beneficial in part to the
oft-f1ooded River Park area as well
as to the lower river resorts of Lib
erty Beach and RavenSwood.
Because the major portion OF the
north section of White River in
Marion County flows through low
lands, flooding of farms and sum-
mer resorts can not be completely
prevented without a prohibitive
cost, which would result in protec-
ton for little in livestock, human
habitation and life.
Dispute Hats Progress
The town of Ravenswood seeks
flood protection. as does Liberty
Beach, but residents OF the two dis
tricts are at odds over the methods
of flood control, with the result that
FERA men are being used lii
Ravenswood merely to build streets
under the town board.
A partially built levee in the sum-
rner resort was abandoned when fac
tional strife developed over the
levee.
One proposal to build levees COM
pletely around RavenSwood and
thereby wall the town in from
White River waters also proved to
be Objectionable in that it would be
necessary to build the levee south OF
the town higher than the road
which it was proposed the levee
was to join.
A few residents of Liberty Beach,
which lies north of Ravenswood, OBJ
iected to a levee blocking off the
river from their beach. River wa
ter, in flood times, has broken
through Liberty Beach and coursed
its way into Ravenswood, flooding
that towns streets.
Continue in Flood Lines
Directors to the Liberty Beach
levee, which would be built to a
point past Jack Dillon's old training
camp, say they don't want a wall of
earth interfering with their river
view.
The result of these objections
from both Liberty Beach and
Ravenswood probably will result in
both districts continuing to be, in
flood lines, little Venices where row.
boats are necessary for transporta-
ton.