Harney County court weighs reengaging Klein Schmitt for updated flood-mitigation modeling and near-term fixes

Harney County Court on Sept. 19 discussed next steps for flood-mitigation planning after this spring's floods and considered reengaging the consultant Klein Schmid (Kleinschmidt) to update prior analyses with recent flood information.

Brandon (county staff) summarized a brief scoping letter from Kleinschmidt proposing three tasks: (1) update the prior alternatives analysis with the latest flood information, (2) revise and broaden the list of potential alternatives, and (3) lead public scoping and stakeholder coordination. "It would be maybe a little shortsighted if we didn't incorporate the latest flood information into that analysis," he said.

Kleinschmidt provided a budget range for the work; commissioners discussed limiting an initial authorization to $100,000 to complete the three tasks and produce an updated scope for review. No county appropriation was approved on Sept. 19; commissioners described two parallel tracks: start limited, targeted in-house repairs that appear feasible now (for example, installing a box culvert at a constrained channel near Foley Drive) while commissioning the updated modeling so larger investments remain data-driven.

County staff said one near-term option (a modified version of alternative 8 in the 2022 report) might be completed by county crews at relatively low cost if confirmed by ground-level checks with landowners and the county road department. "For example, they talked about widening the bridge at Foley Slough to twice its width. We just put that bridge in '21," Brandon said. "That's not very financially responsible to go in and tear that bridge out, but we could widen the channel to the capacity of the existing bridge."

Funding and timing: commissioners discussed using a 2027 state grant award and the possibility of accessing those funds earlier through a low- or no-interest loan from Business Oregon. The court has approximately $63,000 in contingency and a projected $250,000 transfer to operating reserves but did not approve using those funds for the Kleinschmidt update on Sept. 19. Judge Hart said he would pursue conversations with Business Oregon and Regional Solutions and expected follow-up by the next meeting.

Stakeholder coordination: Commissioners emphasized the need for early stakeholder outreach and for assessing downstream impacts from any conveyance changes. Brandon noted that moving water from one place to another can shift flood risk. Commissioners also discussed coordination with the Burns city government, the tribal reservation's potential levee project, ODOT (Highway 20 culverts) and federal agencies.

Why it matters: Officials said updated modeling that incorporates this spring's flood data is needed to prioritize cost-effective, implementable alternatives and to marshal state and federal partners for construction. At the same time, some near-term, lower-cost fixes could be advanced as gestures of immediate mitigation while larger planning continues.

Ending: The court directed staff to continue discussions with Kleinschmidt and Business Oregon, to obtain cost estimates for a possible in-house box culvert project, and to report back at the next session. No appropriation or contract was approved on Sept. 19.