The smell! That was a prominent memory of past floods in Geary County from those attending a Memories at the Museum session Sunday in Junction City. As flood waters linger and then recede there can be a bad odor left behind.

Local residents provided their thoughts and memories primarily of the floods that hit the county in 1951 and 1993.

Dave Walker remembered challenges created by the flood of 1993 at Milford Lake. The regular spillway at the outlet channel washed out so that had to be closed. That meant more water was pushed across the emergency spillway on the south side of the reservoir. “And then it went down in the fields south of 57 highway, down to 77. They were afraid it was going to take out 77 or the 77 bridge. So that’s when they cut 57 to let the water back over into the channel ( Republican River channel ).”

That highly unusual K-57 highway cut prevented nearby U.S. 77 Highway from being washed out.

Walker remembered the Corps of Engineers officials from Oklahoma who were at the lake were concerned about different aspects of erosion affecting the dam or the emergency spillway. “That’s why they were hauling those big rocks by Chinook helicopters to try to stop some of the erosion in the emergency spillway channel.” Walked added holes were drilled in the rocks, the helicopters hauled them to the emergency spillway site, but they were never used.

The Memories at the Museum involved members of the public talking about their memories of different floods in Geary County history. Information gathered during that session will be used to help develop an exhibit dealing with Geary County’s relationship with water. That exhibit will go up at the Geary County Historical Museum in January.