Earle residents keeping dry despite heavy rains

Earle residents keeping dry despite heavy rains

Flap gate doing job in alleviating flooding

news@theeveningtimes.com

Danny Clark was one unhappy resident of Swindle Road last March. And he let the county know it.

Heavy rains had dumped about eight inches of water on Crittenden County and washed out parts of Swindle Road and completely flooded homes in the Apollo Acres subdivision in Earle.

It was about the 40th time the road had washed out.

All the county seemed to know how to do was continue to haul out more gravel rather than build the road up and put in bigger culverts.

But the criticism got the attention of County Judge Woody Wheeless. In June 2018, the county installed new larger diameter culverts and added a flap gate to stop the water from going back through.

The flap gate allows water to flow throw in only one direction through the culvert.

With the recent rains, Clark said Apollo Acres hasn’t flooded and he can’t be more grateful to the county for solving the problem.

“I want to say this to the county, with as much rain as we’ve had, that flap gate has done a wonderful job,” Clark said. “There hasn’t been hardly any water in the fields. And there is no flood water in Apollo Acres.”

Clark, who manages the Earle Water Department, said the flap gate has been a blessing.

“We are so appreciative because that has really taken care of the problem,” Clark said.

Mayor Sherman Smith agreed.

“We appreciate that and are thankful for that,” Smith. “I need to call Judge Wheeless and tell him that.”

Councilwoman Jimmie Barham said she recalls the meeting when Clark came in upset about his road washing out.

She also added her thanks to the county.

“They had water in their homes last time,” Barham said. “All of that has really improved for those people.”

By Mark Randall