OTTUMWA — The Wapello County Board Supervisors say the county has had good results with the Dumpsters being used for flood debris.

Most of the dumping is working exactly as the supervisors hoped. They say little debris is being strewn around the Dumpsters; most of the items are being placed properly and people are not making a mess. But every now and then someone pushes the limits.

Board Chairman Jerry Parker said he was at one of the sites when a car pulled up with two women in it. They asked where they put the paint for disposal. He responded that the dump sites are for flood debris only, and only for residents around the site, but that they can place the paint cans in a box and call the recycling center for pickup.

“Oh,” came the response. “They told us they wouldn’t do that.”

Parker asked where the women lived. “Bloomfield,” was the reply. The women left.

When Parker checked the Dumpster the next day, a box of paint was sitting by the container.

The supervisors knew some people would abuse the Dumpster sites, but they view that as the price of getting those Dumpsters where they need to be. The county chose the sites in an attempt to place the Dumpsters as close as possible to flood victims.

Flood cleanup was still on the county’s agenda this week and will be again next week. Supervisors like the idea of an emergency ordinance that will cover contractors working on home repairs. They passed the first reading of the ordinance last week and briefly considered waiving the additional readings. They decided to keep the ordinance on Tuesday’s agenda to give people a bit more time to comment.

The ordinance still appears on track for passage. But Sheriff Don Kirkendall told the board he would prefer to see a standard form for the contractors, drawn up by the county attorney’s office. The supervisors agreed, and the ordinance will return for a final reading next week.

It has been a year since Wapello County had “normal” weather. Rains last fall led into an unusually severe winter, followed by spring rains and early summer flooding. The combination is forcing the county to consider issuing bonds for road repair.

The specific road under consideration is West 87th Street. The county made some basic repairs to the road over the past several years, but was never able to catch up to where they needed to be. The winter clobbered the road, and the supervisors worry that another winter like last year will reduce the road to gravel.

Supervisor Steve Siegel said his first priority is getting the county’s gravel roads back into shape. Those roads were hit even harder than the county’s paved surfaces. Many became impassable, rut-ridden quagmires. The county has re-rocked some of the roads, but even under ideal circumstances it can’t hope to get to all of them this year.

And this year hasn’t been ideal.

“I just want to make certain that we have sufficient funding available for rock. If we have another horrible winter, we’re going to be in a world of hurt,” Siegel said.

Parker said bonding will create an alternative revenue stream, effectively freeing money that otherwise would go toward protecting West 87th Street.