It was an infinite loop.
As the water was pumped from the basement of the Community Rec Building in Riverside Park, it flowed right back into the rear entrance, where — you guessed it — it made its way back to the basement.
“It’s a cockamamie design,” remarked a city worker who was doing his best to divert the water over the earthen dike that separates the park from the Neosho River.
Inside the massive building, the mesh network of thousands of floor tiles floated above the floor, released by the inundation.
City employees splashed about as they hauled furniture and equipment from the building. Meanwhile, members of a wedding party from the night before — hopefully not the bride and groom — had returned to retrieve left behind items.
From the fairgrounds to the playgrounds to the ball fields, Riverside Park was under water due to torrential rains that deposited an estimated 9 inches on Iola in as many hours.
It’s nothing new.
The last flood of any significance was in 2017, and before that in 2007. In 2011, Riverside Park was included in the federal government’s flood plain, meaning it’s susceptible to “100-year” flooding, as if a taunt to Mother Nature.
The designation means more expensive insurance premiums for structures city officials choose to include, which are the park’s two community buildings and the pool bathhouse. Neither the pool itself, nor the ball diamonds are covered.
If any new structure were to be built in the park, FEMA guidelines require they be built above the flood zone or be flood-proof.
THE PARK’S levee, built in 1939 as a Works Progress Administration project, comes with misgivings. While it generally keeps the Neosho River from invading, it also traps heavy rains like last weekend’s.
In a Sunday morning conversation inside the Rec Building with Corey Schinstock, Iola assistant city administrator, he noted the park’s proximity to the Neosho River is an inherent problem.
“With the ground thoroughly saturated there’s nowhere for the water to go,” he said. “And on top of that, the park is just inches from the underlying water table. You’ll hit river gravel if you dig very deep. So, water is going to percolate through for quite some time, even if we don’t receive additional rains.”
The Neosho River crested Saturday night at just under 20 feet, five feet above flood stage.
It appears dry weather is the only solution to the park’s water management problems. Hardly a reliable solution.
