Columbia County accepts $34,027,954.33 in NRCS emergency watershed funds for storm debris removal

Columbia County’s Public Works and Engineering Services Committee on June 24 approved an agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to use Emergency Watershed Protection funding totaling $34,027,954.33 for removal of storm-generated debris and related technical assistance.

The county will receive $31,653,911 for construction work to remove debris that threatens infrastructure and $2,374,043.33 for technical assistance, including engineering plans, administration, inspections and monitoring. Committee members were told NRCS already has the funds allocated and that the county will typically receive reimbursements about 30 days after submitting invoices.

County staff said the application covered more than 50 locations identified shortly after Hurricane Helene. “From the time we found out about it to the time we submitted an application with over 50 locations, it was about two, two-and-a-half weeks,” a county staff presenter said during the meeting, describing the rapid application process that led to local and USDA approval.

Why it matters: the funding pays for removal of storm debris that county staff said is blocking creeks and posing flood risks behind private properties. The county expects to work with its existing contractor, Ceres, to complete the work before winter. Under the agreement, the county has 120 days from the date the agreement is executed to complete the construction work; staff said NRCS has granted an additional 90 days to address delays in final approval.

Committee members clarified that Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) officials are not managing this grant; NRCS is the federal lead for the program. Staff told the committee they had coordinated with procurement, finance and emergency management (EMA) leadership while preparing for the work.

The committee voted to approve staff’s recommendation to accept the NRCS agreement and proceed with project execution and reimbursement procedures. Staff characterized the timeline as achievable with the county’s current contractor and said field crews would begin prioritizing sites once the agreement is executed.

Ending: Staff will return to the committee as needed with project updates and reimbursement progress once work begins and invoices are submitted to NRCS.