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<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> The main topic at the recent Flood Control Forum (Thursday, April 5, 2007), </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> was the status of the flood control levees along the Anacostia River. </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> These levees protect our town from flooding when the Anacostia River </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> overflows its banks.</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> The Corp of Engineers inspects our levees each year. Recently</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> added criteria (due to lessons learned from Katrina) resulted in our </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> levees receiving an unsatisfactory rating. The county quickly began </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> an aggressive program to fix these issues while assuring us that the </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> levees are currently in good shape and pose no imminent danger.</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> The biggest problem is trees growing on or near the levee. If these</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> trees are blown over, their root ball can tear a hole in the levee. </FONT></div>
<div> </div>
<FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT><div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> As a result, the county is cutting down trees whose drip line is within </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> 15 feet of a levee. They will later remove the stumps and roots of these </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> trees and repair the holes left by removing the roots. </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> County Council members requested a report on how to replace the lost </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> trees in nearby areas that pose no risk to the levee.</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> Other areas of concern for our levees include footpaths and erosion,</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> rutting at the top of the levee, and sediment raising the river floor.</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> I discussed with the county and with the Army Corp representative, </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> the footpath that is eroding the side of the levee at Oglethorpe and</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> Riverside drive. I will follow up with them about this and ask that it </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> be repaired. A paved ramp would allow access without damaging</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> the levee.</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> You can read more about the threat of floods in our town, and see a</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> FEMA map of our flood areas and read about the importance of flood</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> insurance in an article I wrote for the October 2005 Town Crier (page 5), at </FONT></div>
<div> <A HREF="http://www.ci.riverdale-park.md.us/rptc/2005/C3408-Oct05-FloodMap.pdf"><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> http://www.ci.riverdale-park.md.us/rptc/2005/C3408-Oct05-FloodMap.pdf</FONT></A></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> (Or go to www.rptc.us then click on "2005 Town Crier Archives", then click </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> on C3408-Oct05-FloodMap.pdf )</FONT></div>
<div> </div>
<FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT><div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> Also read the short follow up article in the November 2005 Crier (also on page 5)</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> <a href="http://www.ci.riverdale-park.md.us/rptc/2005/C3409-Nov05-Resignations.pdf">http://www.ci.riverdale-park.md.us/rptc/2005/C3409-Nov05-Resignations.pdf</a></FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> Rob Oppenheim</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> Ward One Councilman, Riverdale Park</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> 5902 Cleveland Ave</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> Riverdale Park, Md 20737-1930</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> Home Office: 301 779 1745</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT></div>
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