GROUNDBREAKING FOR DETENTION BASIN TO TAKE PLACE TODAY

Construction of a 157-acre detention basin to help eliminate flooding in Cape Girardeau is about to begin. The city will hold a groundbreaking ceremony at 9 a.m. today at the project site off Route W, north of the city.

The detention basin is the final part of a flood control project that is one of the most significant capital improvement projects ever attempted in the city, officials said.

Representatives from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will be on hand. Other guests will be Mayor Al Spradling III and a representative from U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson's office.

Dumey Construction Co., of Benton, Mo., is building the basin at a cost of $4.5 million. The corps is paying for 75 percent of the work; the city will pay the remaining 25 percent of the costs.

The dry detention basin will only retain water after flash flooding in the area. Water will slowly drain down the watershed over a period of days. The basin prevents water from rushing down the LaSalle Fork, a tributary of the Cape La Croix Creek, and flooding nearby property. It is the key component to the flood control project, which included channelization along Cape La Croix Creek and construction of the La Croix Recreational Trail in the city.

Another component of the project is to install sanitary sewer lines in the area around Route W Mobile Home Park before the dam is built. That portion of the project is $944,744.90, which will also be done by Dumey Construction. The cost of the sewer trunk line is included in the portion of work being paid by the city.

The detention basin project is expected to take two years to complete.