Page 4 The Gunnison Valley Gazette into all the World Elder Jason Jensen (3rd from the right) is excited to return home. He has enjoyed serving the past two years in the Goiania Brazil Mission. Elder Jensen will return home today, June 30th. He will miss the people in Brazil but he is excited to see family and friends. He is pictured here having some fun with his fellow missionaries. Elder Jensen is the son of Brad and Kolleen Jensen of Centerfield. into all thelVorld Rasmussen Ace Hardware is sponsored by ACE Paints Sporting Goods Whirpool Appliances 528-7513 The helpful place. 435 South Main • Gunnison Painting, Portraits & Instruction FLOODING Continued from Page 1 ter." Based on the Edwards' experience, the Pieps also anticipated flooding. "I asked the city what we could do to prevent it," Jeff Piep said, "but they just kept telling me to get some sandbags." But against underground water, impervious to any kind of natural or artificial bank, "The sandbags don't do a bit of good," Lynett Piep said. Neither family lost many belongings. Neither do they think there will be much structural damage, other than the holes in their basement floors. But they are worried about how a pattern of flooding will affect both the usability and the value of their homes. "I don't know what we're going to do," Chasity Edwards said. Staying in the home is questionable, but, "We obviously can't sell." The families think the water is coming from the Sanpitch River, which, they surmise, is seeping underground, backed up by the 200 East bridge which has sometimes been choked with clumps of tamarack and trees. When the Edwards' flooded last year, Ashley noticed that the flooding came and went according to whether the river was flowing over or under the bridge. With as much water as there was this year, "I think we would have had water whether the bridge was there or not, but it sure doesn't help," Chasity Edwards said. Her husband agrees. "This probably isn't the best year to try to prove that," he said. "It's Thursday, June 29, 2011 going to be hard with as much water as we had this year. I don't know how to prove it." Mayor Lori Nay makes the same point, defending the city against any charge of culpability. The bridge, she said, is not to blame. "That's their belief, but what's their basis," she asked. "There's nothing to add foundation to that kind of an assertion." She said the river's flow was considered and researched when the bridge was engineered and built several years ago. Further, the mayor doubts whether the groundwater is connected with the Sanpitch at all. The volume of the Sanpitch might indicate or somewhat affect the level of groundwater, but the groundwater itself doesn't necessarily come from the river, she said experts told her when the Edwards' flooded last year. "The groundwater is the river's problem? I think it's a really hard argument to make. After speaking to a lot of engineers, I really do believe it's an unfounded concern," she said. "People can hypothesize, but there's really no way to make a connection between one and the other." In fact, she said, groundwater is an issue throughout the city causing many property owners to install sump pumps or make other mitigating adjustments to buildings. "Let's not talk about who's at fault. Let's work together to find a way to solve the problem," she said. But even if the water did come from the Sanpitch, and even if the bridge contributed to the problem, she said, "The bridge was there before the homes were." But that fuels another question Jeff Piep and Ashley Edwards both have: How did the area get approved for a subdivision? "This whole field [where the subdivision now sits] was underneath water in 1983," Jeff Piep said, referring to the massive floods that, almost 30 years later, were still on everyone's minds when flooding became a threat this year. The subdivision was built through a government program that gives new homeowners a break on home loans in return for helping to build their own homes. Nay said the city was obligated to allow the homes to be built since it had no legal basis for denying the subdivision application when it was submitted. The applicant—the Six-County Association of Governments—complied with all the legal requirements, she said. The subdivision did have a flood certification performed, "But that doesn't take into account groundwater," said Karl Larsen of the U.S Department of Agriculture's Rural Development Agency, which provided federal funding for the subdivision. "Really it's up to the city and the county to determine where its suitable to build," Larsen said. "We had some discussions when we did [the subdivision] whether flood insurance was going to be required because of its proximity to the Sanpitch." Larsen said there had been talk of another self-help subdivision west of the existing one, in a field that is now filled with flood water. But with this year's flooding, he said, "I would say it would exclude that location." •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •••••• • • 0 • • • • 1[111110 • • 0• • • • • • • Prices effective through • • • July 5, 2011 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Fresh Whole Beef Grilling • • Crisp • • Seeded Top Sirloin • • Corn on the Cob Watermelons • Steaks • • • • • Sbs$1 03.99doz. 4491b. • • • • • • • • Sunny Roost Van Camp's Kraft 18 oz. Asst. Red • • Fresh Bone-1n (Excludes lull's Eye) 15 oz. Ripe • • • Chicken Breasts Barbecue Sauce •• Pork and Deans Tomatoes • • • 9901b. 99c 7901b. 59c • • • • • • • • Lay's 16 oz. pkg. Sun Length Western Family • • 10-10.5 oz. Regular or Jumbo Asst. • • 6 oz. Medium or Large • • Potato Chips Oar S Franks • • Pitted Olives • • • • Buy One Get One FREE! Buy One Get One FREE! 990 • • •• • • •• • Oakdell 5 Dozen • Western Family Western Family Western Family •• • Grade AA 24 pk. Half Liter Bottles 7 lb. lag 128 oz. Original Table • Medium Eggs •• Pancake Syrup • Pancake Mix Spring Water • •• • 1.99 $4.99 499 • $4.99 •• • • • Fresh Service Deli Fresh Scratch Bakery • •• • • Igill al ti ME gt EB k Ti (111 to antig 71 •■ Pharmacy Hours: : Mon.-Thur. 9:30 am to 6:30 pm Fri. 9:30 am to 3 pm Closed Sat. Et Sun. • 2 Dozen Fresh Baked Hard Rolls -X299 •• 4 ct. Custard Filled Eclairs - 199 •• Asst. Single Layer Cakes -X4.99 ea. • • ••••••••••••••••••••••••• • Hot 6 Ready Chicken renders - $4.49 lb.: Macaroni or Potato Salads - 1.59 lb. •• • Sliced-to-Order Slack Forest • • or Honey Ham - $4.99 lb. • ••••••••••••••••••••••••••