Devils Lake keeps getting larger because it has no natural river or stream to carry away excess rain and snowmelt. Now it has climbed within 6 feet of overflowing, raising fears that some downstream communities could be washed away if the water level isn't reduced.
"It's a slow-moving torture," said 72-year-old Joe Belford, a lifelong resident of Devils Lake and a county commissioner who spends most of his time seeking a way to control the flooding and money to pay for it.
No other place in America has faced such a dilemma.
"We're unfortunately or fortunately - I don't know what it is - pretty unique," said Dick Johnson, mayor of Devils Lake, which has nearly 7,000 residents. The flooding "doesn't have the immediate impact that a hurricane or typhoon might have, but it's devastating."
Since the water began rising in the
1990s, more than 400 homes around the lake have been relocated or destroyed.
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View entire article here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/09/23/MNQ21FHUAP.DTL&type=science
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