A Farmer's Quarter-Mile Wall Against the Pend Oreille
After losing $3,000 in crops, John Davas built a dike near Dalkena high enough to turn back the spring flood—and stout enough to protect his neighbors.
John Davas, residing near Dalkena, has just completed a large dike in front of his ranch. The dike is one of the highest in the lower river country, being about five feet higher than the high water of last spring. The dike is from 45 to 55 feet in width at the bottom and from 14 to 15 feet high at the top. It is about one-fourth of a mile long, and will not only protect his property from the flood, but will prove valuable to his neighbors. He has provided for the spring water on the land by two concrete culverts fitted with flood gates to keep the waters of the Pend Oreille river out. Mr. Davaz says that the cost of the improvement was about $1200, and he considers the money spent a good investment, as he lost crops valued at $3000 the past year.
“Mr. Davaz says that the cost of the improvement was about $1200, and he considers the money spent a good investment, as he lost crops valued at $3000 the past year.”
Private levees and flood gates are still part of how the Pend Oreille Valley manages water, and Davas's investment anticipates today's debates over who pays for climate resilience. The story also records a familiar rural calculation: spend $1,200 now or lose $3,000 again next spring.
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