Edwin Buswell, Executive Director of the Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission, approached the Starke County Commissioners and informed them of a grant they are seeking from the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs to fund debris removal from the Yellow River, from the Knox area to the Marshall County line.
“Back in 2008, the state got funds from the disaster recovery program to take care of debris that is clogging rivers and causing erosion on the ditch banks,” said Buswell.
This grant would certainly be beneficial to residents around the Yellow River, because the debris in the river has caused an increased amount of erosion and has even clogged rivers. A recent study showed the increased erosion on the ditch banks and it has caused concern for some residents.
“According to the survey, there’s several properties where the erosion has come up almost to their back doors, endangering the houses and also the public infrastructure,” Buswell said.
Work on the project is expected to start in late winter or early winter, with the Kankakee River Basin Commission providing a $5,000 match for the grant.
