County commission gives go ahead for grant to drain lake

The Cape Girardeau County commissioners approved plans to fix a persistently lowering water level in the lake at County Park North during their Thursday, Aug. 8 meeting.

Park superintendent Bryan Sander told the commissioners that, over the summer, his department staff noticed the lake’s water level decreasing, and it soon grew apparent there was a leak.

The commissioners gave Sander the approval to seek out a $300,000 Missouri Department of Conservation grant to drain the lake, till its bed and add infrastructure with bentonite to seal any leaks. Bentonite is a swelling clay that can absorb large quantities of water.

“It may become obvious where it’s leaking at, it may not. We don’t know until we start the process,” Sander said.

The county would supply a quarter of the funding, or some $75,000. Sander said an actual set of funding would be due to the Department of Conservation within three to four months, but the application itself could be accepted much earlier.

Associate Commissioner Paul Koeper mentioned how he’d like a drain installed at the lake, regardless.

More approvals

The commissioners gave the go-ahead to install a Generac emergency generator for Highway Department fuel dispensers before the upcoming winter at the cost of $12,350 from the county’s capital fund. They also approved the purchase of around 100 tons of salt from Show Me Truck Equipment of Jackson for the winter at $100.50 per ton.