        
   |
||
 |
A lawyer and former judge in Muskingum County, he acknowledges that many have objected to the assessment plan, but urges residents of his city to study the facts of the issue thoroughly. “We weren't here for the 1913 flooding, before Dillon Dam was completed,” he said. “Back then, there was flooding every year because Muskingum is one of four counties at the foot of the Muskingum River. (Coshocton, Washington and Morgan are the others.) Everything flows through here. These are the counties of greatest risk.” Now, he believes the dams are crucial to the well-being and the future of the area. “The 2005 flooding would have put 15 feet of water in our city and completely wiped out the lower section,” he said. “There would have been an extra 18 feet of water near the Philo electric plant. Some of our businesses would have never re-opened … With Dover, Beach City, Bolivar and Mohawk dams on the national watch list, it's crucial to keep them maintained.”
< back to testimonials
> John Hildreth
> Howard "Butch" Zwelling > Joe Sommer > Dorothy Montgomery > Mike Lauber > Quincy Robe |
 |
Zanesville, like a lot of municipalities in the region, could not have prospered over the years - or maybe even survived - if not for the system of dams and reservoirs built in the 1940s by the MWCD, says Mayor Howard “Butch” Zwelling.