The Dodge County Joint Water Management Advisory Board (JWMAB) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will conduct a public meeting to provide an update on the Rawhide Creek Watershed Flood Risk Reduction Plan and proposed projects.
The drop-in meeting is scheduled for 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 6 at the UNL Dodge County Extension Office, 1206 W. 23rd Street in Fremont. All are welcome to attend and provide comments or questions to the project team. No formal presentation will be made, and attendees may drop-in anytime.
This public meeting will provide an update on the planning process and review proposed flood mitigation projects within the Rawhide Creek Watershed, which spans 142,000 acres in eastern Nebraska between Schuyler and Fremont. Additionally, attendees will be able to provide feedback on the proposed options within the watershed. No final decisions have been made on the projects.
The JWMAB is partnering with the NRCS to develop the Rawhide Creek Watershed Work Plan – Environmental Assessment (Plan-EA). The Plan-EA will be used to help document existing problems and evaluate new strategies for flood prevention and watershed protection. During the public meeting, attendees will be able to learn more from project personnel, as well as ask questions and provide feedback.
Catastrophic flooding occurred in March 2019 along the Platte and Elkhorn Rivers and their tributaries, affecting the communities of North Bend, Fremont, and Inglewood. The Dodge County JWMAB was created to support inter-agency collaborative efforts to identify and implement measures to reduce area flood risks.
Current planning efforts started in the summer of 2021 with a focus on mitigating flooding from west-northwest of the City of Fremont; flood risk reduction alternatives are not focused on flooding from the Platte River. The Rawhide Creek Watershed Flood Risk Reduction Plan is scheduled to be complete in 2024, with JEO Consulting Group retained to complete the plan.
The Plan-EA is being prepared to fulfill National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) responsibilities pertaining to federal financial assistance received through the NRCS’s Watershed and Flood Prevention Operations (WFPO) Program. Part of this project includes an evaluation of environmental resources and impact considerations, and all information gathered during the public meeting will help guide the planning process.
Any written comments or requests regarding the project should be submitted to John Petersen with JEO at jpetersen@jeo.com, 402.616.5036, or mailed directly to the JEO Omaha office at 11213 Davenport Street Ste. 200, Omaha, NE 68154.
For more information, please contact Tom Smith at 402-727-2785 or
emergencymanagement@dodgecountyne.gov or visit the project website at https://arcg.is/0X9HTn.
