Ask The Answer Person: Why are City of Decorah crews mowing down milkweed plants?

Barb asks: "Why did the Street Department mow down at least 50 milkweed plants growing on the dike between Second Street and Fifth Street?  At least wait until the monarch season is over!"

Decorah City Engineer Jeremy Bril says mowing of the levee system is a maintenance activity required by the US Army Corps of Engineers.

Each levee and the surrounding area is supposed to be a "vegetation-free zone." This means that only grass should be grown in these areas and nothing shall be allowed to grow taller than 12 inches.

Bril says the main reason city crews keep the grass short on the levees is to discourage burrowing animals from inhabiting the levees.  Even small holes could potentially cause significant problems during a flood as they could provide a pathway for water to work its way through the levee.