Diversion Authority outlines 2026 work plan to shift from construction to operations, targets readiness for 2027 flood

The Diversion Authority board received a detailed 2026 governance and operations plan on its annual meeting, with staff saying the next 12–24 months will focus on shifting the project from construction to operations and maintenance.

Jason, a staff presenter, told the board the authority is planning the transition so the project is ready for a potential 2027 flood season. He said the work will include final inspections and validation of completed project components, completion of financial reviews tied to construction payments, recruiting or contracting for operations staff, and developing agreements for mutual-aid assistance with member jurisdictions.

"2026 is probably gonna be one of our busiest years because we're gonna have everything... to all the inspection of project components that are completed and turned over to us," Jason said. He told the board the authority currently has seven full-time employees and relies heavily on consultants but expects to grow staff where appropriate.

The plan breaks the work into lines of operation — flood-event operations; routine maintenance; administration; mitigation projects; and FEMA certification — supported by roughly two dozen "lines of effort" such as financial management, public outreach, GIS, environmental permitting and a crop-insurance program. Jason said the authority currently counts 23 lines of effort and will assign a champion to each workstream to define tasks, costs and whether the activity should be filled by a full-time employee or a consultant.

Staff laid out near-term milestones: over the next six months champions will draft duties, time allocations and cost estimates; by mid-summer the authority expects to finalize pay grades and begin HR work on hiring; next fall staff plan to move into the new Administrative Building and hold a project celebration; and the authority will prepare a 2027 cash budget that bridges the last construction year and the start of operations.

The board was told the authority will propose a maintenance levy to fund O&M beginning in 2028. Jason also noted ongoing mitigation work (including Cheyenne River mitigation) and a FEMA physical map revision process that staff expect to continue into the end of the decade.

The presentation closed with staff saying the authority aims for early-2028 targets of roughly 90% of needed staff hired and 90% of equipment on hand, and repeated plans to conduct operational rehearsals and standard operating procedure development before the 2027 season.

The board did not take formal action on the plan at the meeting; the presentation concluded with an invitation for questions and none were raised.