Comment EI-22392
Received or sent (printed as 5/3/2016)
Docket # 35952 Environmental Comments The issue I wish to address pertains to drainage. South Lake County Indiana is situated in a flood plain that drains into the Kankakee River to the south. Because most of the land the proposed rail line will traverse is farm land the ground is drained by field tiles that run through the land. Constructing a rail line through this farm land will break and damage these tiles. The rail line would act as a dam, a barrier that would prevent proper drainage and would cause flooding on the north side. Water flow to the Kankakee River would be greatly reduced which would be harmful for the environment by depriving fish and wildlife that depend upon the water in the river to survive. Also, as the River crosses the state line into Kankakee County Illinois it becomes the water source for the residents of the towns and cities along the way, including the city of Kankakee. These towns and cities draw their water right out of the river, so if the volume of water is drastically reduced by the dam this rail line would create they will lose their ability to have adequate water. Flooding caused by the dam created by the rail line will reduce crop production along the route because our crops can’t grow in flood water. The hardship this would cause economically to the area would be significant. Therefore; we recommend that the STB deny this project going forward. Thank you. Patricia Mussman
Submitted by: Pat · Mussman · Lowell, IN
The Board publishes this comment in its environmental-comment table for this proceeding. It is quoted here as printed; nothing is inferred from it, and it states the commenter's own position in their own words, not this record's.
Permanent address docketyard.org/d/FD-35952/comment/EI-22392 · back to the docket sheet