BATTLE CREEK, Nebraska - The Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources District (LENRD) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will hold a public open house to provide an update on the Battle Creek Watershed Flood Risk Reduction Plan. The meeting will be held on Thursday, Aug. 18, 2022, from 5-7 p.m. at the Battle Creek Community Clubhouse, 804 South 2nd Street in Battle Creek. All are welcome to attend and provide comments or questions to the project team. The meeting will be an open house event, with a short presentation at 5 p.m.  Attendees are welcome to drop-in anytime between 5-7 p.m.

This public meeting will provide an update on the planning process and review the proposed flood mitigation alternative within the Battle Creek Watershed, which spans more than 57,000 acres in Madison and Boone counties. During the public meeting, attendees will be able to learn more from project personnel, as well as ask questions and provide feedback.

Since beginning the planning process in 2020, the team has developed hydrologic and hydraulic models to show existing flooding conditions, reviewed various flood risk reduction alternatives, and have started drafting the watershed plan and environmental assessment. Current planning efforts are being led by JEO Consulting Group and will be completed by spring 2023.

The Battle Creek watershed has a long history of flooding, dating back to the 1940s, causing extensive damages and disrupting the economy of the region. Major flooding events throughout the 2000s, including Nebraska’s historical flooding event in 2019, has resulted in extensive damage worth millions of dollars. Following the catastrophic March 2019 flooding, the LENRD applied for Watershed Flood Prevention & Operations (WFPO) program funding from the NRCS, with a focus on mitigating flooding impacts within and near the City of Battle Creek.

As part of the WFPO program, the LENRD will work with the NRCS to develop the Battle Creek Watershed Work Plan – Environmental Assessment (Plan-EA). The Plan-EA will be used to help document existing problems, evaluate alternative, and identify a preferred alternative for future federal funding.

The Plan-EA is being prepared to fulfill National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) responsibilities pertaining to federal financial assistance received through the NRCS’s WFPO Program. Part of this project includes an evaluation of environmental resources and impact considerations, and all information gathered during the public meeting will help guide the planning process.

For more information, please contact Curt Becker, Projects Manager for the LENRD, at 402-371-7313 or cbecker [at] lenrd.org