7/15/93
By: Chuck Herron
Courier-Post Staff Writer

CLARKSVILLE ­ The residents of Clarksville have declared all-out war on the Mississippi River, right down to their Army-like tactics to fight the relentless rise of the mighty river.

The east side of Clarksville's business district even resembles a war zone, where businesses have barricaded themselves against the enemy waters behind a six-foot-high, six-foot-wide sandbag bunker. The levee stretches east, north and south from where Route 79 splits Clarksville and protects two city blocks. It was built by volunteers last week as the Mississippi River began its relentless climb toward the business district. A dozen pumps run around the clock to push water from behind the structure.

So far, Clarksville is winning the battle, but local business owners are uncertain if they can hold out long enough to win the war.

As of 10 a.m. today, the water level was 36.4 feet. Clarksville residents were bracing for a 38.0 feet crest on Thursday and expect the river to remain at that level for three days.

Thurmond Cooper, now 77, operates Cooper's Store on Howard Street in Clarksville. He began working at the grocery store full-time after graduating from high school. The business was started by his father in 1917.

He remembers that during the Great Flood of Ś73, water was 18 inches deep in the store. "Some of the sandbags broke and the water got in the store," Cooper said. "We had to close about a week." Even though the water is currently higher than it was in 1973, Cooper and his patrons have so far managed to stay high and dry, thanks to the elaborate sandbag levee and pump system which protects the city block where his store is located.

In order to get to the store, Cooper's customers have to traverse along a narrow passageway behind the six-foot-high bunker. On the other side of the levee, the water is more than four feet deep. It is predicted to rise another foot and a half, bringing it to within inches of the top of the manmade levee.

"We haven't really been too busy ­ I think a lot of people are afraid of the water," Cooper said as he looked out his front window at the elaborate levee. He said the structure was built by volunteers from Clarksville and a number of surrounding communities. "I think we even had some tourists help," the grocer noted. "So far it's holding all right."

Another business which is cheating the flood is the Dug Out, located east of Cooper's Store. Owned by Diane and Doug Spencer, the business would be bar-deep in water without the levee. "No way, I'm not closing," Diane Spencer said late Tuesday afternoon. "We had a few inches of water inside our dining room one morning, but we got it cleaned up and opened in time for lunch."

Inside, a handful of local patrons ignored the wall of water only feet away and relaxed with a few beers. One of them noted that during the Great Flood of 1973, water got about three feet deep in the business, but customers were unintimidated and could still be found sitting on barstools to have a drink.

As Spencer surveyed the floodwaters from atop the sandbags outside her entrance, she marveled at the way the community pulled together to build the levee. "We supplied food and beer for the sandbaggers, but it we don't get water in our place, it's okay," she said. "They really put a lot into building this (levee)."

Just north of the downtown district, the Corps on Engineers' Lock and Dam No. 24 office was fighting its own battle against the river.

Lockmaster Chris Morgan said the Corps has barricaded the office with 25,000 sandbags and has so far managed to keep the water out. "We've just been filling bags and slipping them in place," he said. "We've worked nearly around the clock for six days. We've had a lot of volunteers."

Like other Clarksville residents, Morgan said about all that was left to do was keep a close eye on the levee and wait to see just how high the river would go. He, too, was hoping that the river would fall short of the predicted crest of 38 feet, but wanted to be ready if it did reach that level.

Already, from 30 to 40 homes on the community's south end have been flooded by the rising river. Residents say more homes will almost certainly fall victim as the water inches its way westward ­ it's just a matter of how many.

As if Clarksville didn't have enough water problems to deal with, this morning a delivery truck ran into a fire hydrant inside the city, knocking it loose. Before the leak could be stopped, the city's water reservoir's were drained. City officials said this morning that they hope to get water service restored today. Once water service is restored, residents should boil all water until further notice.