Flooding Spring 2004

The Cedar River crested on Thursday, May 27, 2004. The day before, K9COLA Board Co-Chair Randy Carris, in collaboration with Kaye Chadima, Director of Animal Control, agreed to shut down the Park as the waters rose through the lower end of the Park toward Cedar Bend Lane. Before the end of the day Wednesday, a section of Cedar Bend Lane was under water (see photo at right), water had taken over the Park entry area, and Animal Control had shut down.

The City was using its police helicopter to shuttle an Animal Control worker into that facility daily to care for stranded cats and dogs. The geese in the picture at the left don't seem to mind the new "dogless" environment. This photo is taken at the south end of the Park. Wonder how many tennis balls are now floating down the Cedar River? (Guess this is one way to get the toys "picked up.")

The photo at the right is of the bench and trash can nearest the end of the alleyway Park entry. The tree is one of the two blossoming pears and the fence in the center of the photo shows where the corner of the Traning Yard is.

This photo is a view of the parking lot taken looking toward the road and Animal Control. Pretty much in the center you can see the overturned Port-O-John, which has floated some distance from its appropriate location just outside the first gate. The other debris in the water is some of the big logs that surround the lot; we've been asking the City to move them for some time. Good things come to those who wait?

Here are some more images of the post-flood damage.

This is the fence that stretches from the entry alley along the trail adjacent to the rugby field. Note the debris caught in the fence.

The photo at the left is the Park trail at the first trash can, facing back toward the parking lot and the road. For perspective, look at the two flowering pear trees, which are at the end of the alley entry way.

At the right is the fence along the back of the Park; this is the fence that abuts the ZBCJ Park -- you can see one of the cabins in the background. The fence has been pushed over into the Park, and is filled with debris. There is still water covering a good portion of this back trail.

This handsome fellow was found in the Park entryway before the flood waters receded. He was swimming around the Park with several of his buddies.

A good joke. Signs promoting K9COLA's first dog swim event, K9Splash, scheduled to be held at Jones Pool in June 2004 look pretty comical with the Cedar River flood waters in the background. K9Splash, indeed!

Two more photos of damage to and washed out parts of the Park's trail; both are taken from the Park looking in the general direction of the road and Animal Control.

Finally, here are a couple of shots of some of the generous folks who volunteered to come help clean off the fence so the City could repair damages.

Thanks to Randy Carris, Karalee Briggs, and Jo Pearson for flood photos. For a few more, visit the photo page at our K9COLA Yahoo Groups site (you will need to sign in to your Yahoo account).