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Soil conservation reports federal payment pause resolved; county to review Sloughville sign-ups and pilot stormwater structure
Summary
John Gallagher said federal contract payments that were briefly halted have resumed for active contracts; staff reviewed Sloughville (tax-exemption) sign-ups, an MOU for administration, and a pilot for on-road stormwater storage that would require voluntary landowner participation.
John Gallagher of the Soil Conservation Department told supervisors that a recent federal review briefly paused certain program payments but that payments for active contracts can resume. "Payments can resume for active contracts," he said, reporting relief for agricultural producers who rely on those federal programs.
Gallagher reviewed the Sloughville program (a state-code tax-exemption sign-up administered locally) and said about 2,000 acres were evaluated this year. He provided supervisors a memorandum of understanding that formalizes roles among the Soil and Water Conservation District, the Board of Supervisors and the Iowa DNR for administering the annual exemption and said staff will reassess the program and eligibility criteria after the current year's sign-up.
On water-quality initiatives, Gallagher said county staff are awaiting FY26 guidance and allocations for the Iowa financial incentives program and the Water Quality Initiative, which fund measures such as cover-crop cost-share. He described a pilot project with sustainability and engineering to retrofit road culverts with on-road stormwater storage intended to reduce peak flows, increase infiltration and potentially reduce nutrient runoff. Gallagher emphasized landowner participation would be voluntary: "We would not site one as a demonstration site that would affect the landowner that was unwilling to accept the risk," he said.
Gallagher said he submitted letters of support to conservation partners for an urban stormwater wetland proposal in Morgan Creek and attended an invasive species conference to bring back best practices.
Ending: Gallagher said staff will continue coordination with state partners, follow guidance on FY26 programs and work with landowners on voluntary pilot sites.
