March 27, 2019

Cemetery flooded again

Cemetery flooded again

By Neal A. Shipman
Farmer Editor

In what has become an all too common occurrence, last week families who have loved ones buried in the Schafer Cemetery could do nothing but helplessly watch as spring runoff overflowed a road ditch and slowly started to flow over the graves.
“This is so frustrating,” stated Rick Jore, Watford City city engineer. “This is our third year that we’ve had water overflowing from the road ditch next to the cemetery to flow over the graves.”
According to Jore, while there was no damage to the cemetery property or to any of the graves, the city would like a permanent solution to what has become an annual problem at the cemetery.
“As part of the design for the Highway 23 bypass, a series of retention ponds were built on the north side of the bypass to handle runoff water,” states Jore. “The new bypass and the new development near the cemetery has affected the natural drainage.”

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WATFORD CITY WEATHER