Manhattan city crews working to clear debris from Wildcat Creek

MANHATTAN, Kan. (KSNT) – The City of Manhattan is working on getting debris out of Wildcat Creek, which is closing parts of Pecan Circle Trail until Dec. 20.

A number of problems have hit Manhattan after the Labor Day flood in 2018. The city saw nine inches of rain from that one storm.

One of the issues is Wildcat Creek seeing a log jam by Pecan Circle Trail.

That means there’s now a bend in the area, causing a pinch point and making it harder for water to go through.

The city said it’s created a job for Manhattan Park Crews to clear out about 500,000 pounds of debris.

All that will be taken to the Riley County transfer for disposal. It’s going to cost around $75,000 mostly through in-kind labor and equipment resources.

Officials with the city say this was the best time to get this project done.

“I can say easily we’ve been waiting about a year to get the jam out,” Casey Smithson, Park Superintendent said. “The processes and design just takes some time. It’s a huge plus to get this particular log jam out just because it makes any work we do in jeopardy if we leave it here.”

All this is closing parts of Pecan Circle Trail until Dec. 20 while crews work to clear all the debris out.