First Ice Dam Gets Residents Talking

[Jim O'Bryan]

The first ice dam of this winter season formed at the railroad trestle causing some residents enough concern to call Lakewood Fire Department.


Understanding the homeowners concerns, it was checked out and noted, but there is not a lot of fear of flooding.


For those of us that walk and bike in Metro Parks, we have seen it far worse with much larger slabs of ice some weighing tons.


Looking north past BrickHAUS Partners' 11 River.


The ice is only 4 or 5 inches thick, sometimes it is a foot or more.




Upstream it is still flowing by the first bridge.


With warmer weather and rain we shall see how it goes.



Nothing to see but nature, move along.


.

[Tim Liston]

I remember moving into one of the boat houses, a little one, down in the Clifton Lagoon back in late 1990. My wife and I lived down there for five years, both our daughters were born during that time. During one January about four years in, '94 or '95, there was a long period of very cold weather, followed by a substantial thaw, several days of 50+ degree weather. I remember one Friday looking out at the huge chunks of ice rushing very rapidly by the place, getting ready for work, and I said to myself "maybe I should stay home today just in case." Then I decided I was being paranoid, even though I grew up outside of Vermilion and witnessed such flooding first hand almost every winter.

When my wife and I returned from work that evening, and turned onto Beach Road, it was blocked off by police. I knew right away we would not be spending the night in our place. There was four feet of water in it. I think that was the last substantial flood down there. The aftermath and cleanup for us was certainly a pain but not awful. Floods are not as bad as fires, I know first hand because I've experienced both. But I do hope for the sake of the people living down there now that it doesn't flood. If my experience is any indication, it will take a lot more ice than this, and then many days of very warm weather.

My most vivid memory of it was the ice machine from the upstream marina frozen into backed-up mess right in the middle of the river. It remained there until the spring thaw, when presumably it just sunk to the bottom and remains there even now. I wish I had a picture.

[Patrick Wadden]

The back up of ice that floods the Lagoons in Vermilion almost every year was and is a direct result of the break wall that was built by the Corp of Engineers. Many Vermilion residents apposed the break wall( Lakewoodite Grossman was the leading voice against the Breakwall, and he was right by the way) The original design by the Corp was that the wall be built 700 feet further North than where it sits now. Plus, the original design had a massive space between two walls. Not one massive wall. This was to allow for ice flow in the thaw. What was built was a massive continuous wall directly in front of the mouth of the Vermilion river. The breakwall that is there now is reason the river needs to be dredged every other year. Prior to the breakwall being built the river was a consistent 8 feet deep. After the breakwall, less than 6 feet every year. The river needed to be dredged about every 20 years prior to the Breakwall. Now it is dredged almost every year.

The Rocky River backs up and floods because of the turns in the river. The bridge pillars don't help. Not something that was manmade. Just thought I would give you some background on the things that Liston brings up.

[jackie f taylor]

beautiful photos, thanks for sharing