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Water resource districts outline drain reconstructions, low-head dam retrofits and funding needs
Summary
Boards described major drain reconstruction, slide repairs, low-head dam hazard mitigation and funding strategies including bonds, cash and state cost-share changes.
Melissa, presenting for the county's water resource districts, summarized active and planned projects across multiple districts, and described funding approaches and permitting dependencies.
For the Southeast Cass district she highlighted a Drain 10 reconstruction on 12th Avenue, numerous slide repairs caused by unstable side slopes and a Drain 207 project in Horace slated for reconstruction ahead of new development. Melissa said Drain 207 will be funded partially with cash and partially with a bond and described working closely with county finance on bond rating because "they are essentially the backstop for our bond." She warned that slide repairs can cost several hundred thousand dollars each and emphasized setbacks to protect drain stability.
Melissa said the districts are pursuing low-head dam hazard mitigation projects on the Wild Rice and Papell rivers; those projects are in design and received significant funding approval from the Cass County Flood Sales Tax Commission. For the Maple River district, she reported the Davenport levee project has a FEMA conditional letter of map revision and said the project still needs an operating-and-maintenance agreement with BNSF Railway before the state construction permit can be secured.
She said the state is considering raising its cost-share for drainage projects from 45% to 75%, which would materially reduce the local funding burden if enacted. On the Rush River and lower Rush drains she described work tied to the FM diversion channel, including transitioning legal drains, flattening side slopes to reduce spring flood elevations and modeling downstream impacts.
Melissa also noted personnel changes affecting operations: the district's treasurer has resigned and the search for a replacement is underway. She said districts continue end-of-year close work and preparation for the 2024 audits and that some projects' timelines depend on agreements (for example, with BNSF) and state approvals.
Commissioners asked several clarifying questions during and after the update about project locations, prioritization and the interactions between county bonding and district funding.
