Flood relief for several Island Creek residents will begin soon in the form of buyouts as a flood prevention project begins its first phase.

The Island Creek stream widening project will widen to 80 feet approximately seven-tenths of a mile beginning in the Super 8 Motel area and will go upstream in order to decrease flood damage to at least 252 homes and businesses and will include buyouts of several homes and businesses along the channel.

Logan County Commission President Art Kirkendoll said this morning in an exclusive interview with The Logan Banner that the buyout process is ready to begin and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will be working with Island Creek basin residents to give them a fair market value for their homes and businesses.

“The buyout procedure is pretty fair,” Kirkendoll said. “But, you’ll have people who hope to get a great deal more for their property because it’s they’ll be selling it to the federal government. This is a Logan County project, but we’ll have federal oversight and they will come in and work with property owners and sit down and negotiate prices and that’s good.”

Kirkendoll said property has to be purchased to give the Corps of Engineers access to Island Creek and for the widening of the channel, which will allow rushing water to flow more freely, rather than bottlenecking, which causes much of the flooding along the waterway.

“Seven-tenths of a mile doesn’t seem like that much, but, when you widen the stream to 80 feet, that allows it to hold a whole lot more water than it can now,” Kirkendoll said. “And when that water can flow through there without backing up, it will decrease flooding to people upstream as well as downstream.”

Kirkendoll said some Island Creek residents will be happy for the buyouts, while others won’t want to give up their property.

“Deed purchases will take some time,” Kirkendoll said. “Some people will be willing to sell and some people won’t want to leave. I can’t imagine what it’s like to be flooded every year. This project is huge for Logan County and will provide flood protection for a lot of residents who get flooded nearly every year.”