Input sought for flood risk plan
OSMOND – A flood risk reduction plan is being developed for a watershed that includes McLean and Magnet communities.
The Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources District, in partnership with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, recently hosted two meetings for the North Fork Elkhorn River Flood Risk Reduction Plan.
In August, the Lower Elkhorn NRD Board of Directors selected JEO Consulting Group for the development of a flood risk reduction plan for the North Fork Elkhorn River watershed, which spans about 240,000 acres and includes Foster, Magnet, McLean, Osmond, Pierce, Plainview and Wausa.
Curt Becker, who was promoted in October by the Lower Elkhorn NRD from projects manager to assistant general manager, said when NRDs were formed during the early 1970s, the Nebraska Legislature gave them the responsibility of prevention of damages from floodwater and sediment, and flood prevention and control.
The planning document/study, funded by the NRCS, outlines potential projects that would reduce or mitigate flooding in the planning area, Becker said.
The idea for this planning document project came from the compilation of a number of requests and the availability of NRCS funding.
After the cities of Osmond and Pierce communicated their concerns following the 2019 flood, the Lower Elkhorn NRD provided financial assistance to the city of Osmond for a drainage study in 2019.
In the summer of 2020, the Lower Elkhorn NRD submitted an application for the Watershed and Flood Prevention Operations Program to NRCS to provide funding to complete this planning document, Becker said.
The planning document is scheduled to be completed by the end of February 2025, he said.
The contract with the consultant to put the flood risk reduction plan together has a cost of $615,880. The development of the planning document is covered entirely by federal grant funds.
“We will not have estimated costs for any structural projects until we get further along with the planning document,” Becker said. “The plan will identify potential projects and develop estimated costs, but we are too early in the process.
The open house meetings are part of the beginning stages for determining what locations need flood reduction and what types of projects would be acceptable.
“Public input is very important for this project and is a focus for this planning effort,” Becker said.
Once the planning document is completed, the Lower Elkhorn NRD could be eligible for funds to complete the design of any potential projects.
The design phase could be a two-year process. “Following design of potential projects, the district could be eligible for funds to construct those projects,” Becker said. “The WFPO program has three phases: planning, design and construction. Each phase typically takes no less than a year and often takes multiple years.”
The planning process will need to follow the requirements outlined in the WFPO program.
The next step in the process is to document all of the public comments from the open house meetings and continue to accept public comments until Dec. 6.
“Once the public comments have been received, the consulting firm will continue to follow the WFPO planning process to determine what possible projects could be utilized to reduce flooding,” Becker said.
“Once potential projects have been identified, another round of open house meetings will be scheduled,” he said. “The next round of public open house meetings are tentatively scheduled for sometime in the summer of 2024.”
He emphasized public input is really important to the Lower Elkhorn NRD for this flood risk reduction plan.
“We want and need that input and it is needed early and throughout the development of this plan,” Becker said.
He encouraged anyone who could not make the recent open house meetings to check out the project website, www.jeo.com/north-forkwfpo, and provide input through the questions- and-comments section of the website or communicate directly with him by phone at 402-371-7313 or email at cbecker@lenrd.org.