Second Round of Open House Meetings Planned for the North Fork Elkhorn River Flood Risk Reduction Plan

(Osmond and Pierce, Neb.) – The Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources District (LENRD), in partnership with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), will host a second round of two public meetings for the North Fork Elkhorn River Flood Risk Reduction Plan. The first meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 25 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Pierce County Fairgrounds Pavilion, 622 N. Brown Street, Pierce, NE 68767. The second meeting will be held on Wednesday, June 26 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Osmond City Auditorium, 413 N. State Street, Osmond, NE 68765. The format of the meetings will be open house style, with no formal presentations planned. As each meeting will feature the same information, community members are invited to attend the meeting that is most convenient or works best for their schedules.

In August 2023, 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 approximately 242,563 acres and includes the communities of Foster, Magnet, McLean, Osmond, Pierce, Plainview, and Wausa. Developed in accordance with NRCS requirements, this plan will document existing flooding issues, evaluate strategies that reduce the risk of flooding, and outline an implementation plan.

The two meetings in late June serve as the second of three rounds of public meetings planned for the project. The purpose of these second-round meetings is to outline the sources of flooding in Osmond and Peirce; share a comprehensive list of the alternatives, or potential projects, identified to reduce flood risk; and provide an overview of the alternatives evaluation process. Attendees can also provide feedback on the proposed draft alternatives. Written comments will be accepted until Friday, July 26, 2024.

The planning efforts, which started in August 2023, are expected to be completed in early 2025. Funding for this project is provided by the NRCS Watershed and Flood Preventions Operations (WFPO) Program.

For more information, visit the project website at jeo.com/north-fork-wfpo.

Project-related questions or written comments can be submitted to LENRD Assistant General Manager, Curt Becker, at (402) 371-7313 or cbecker@lenrd.org.