North Fork Elkhorn River Watershed Flood Risk Reduction Plan

The Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources District (LENRD), in partnership with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), is working to develop a flood risk reduction plan for the North Fork Elkhorn River Watershed.

• The watershed spans approximately 244,287 acres and includes the communities of Foster, Magnet, McLean, Osmond, Pierce, Plainview, and Wausa.
• LENRD is aware of repeated flooding in this area, notably in and around Pierce and Osmond.

Project Update – February 2025

The North Fork Elkhorn River Watershed Flood Risk Reduction Plan is progressing through the review process. The current steps include:

1. Technical Review: The plan is undergoing an initial review by the NWMC to ensure technical accuracy.
2. Programmatic Review: After technical review, the plan will be evaluated by NRCS-HQ for compliance with program requirements.
3. Public Review: Once agency reviews are complete, the plan will be made available for public review.

project overview

This project is focused on identifying potential solutions to flooding within North Fork Elkhorn River Watershed, with a focus on the communities of Osmond and Pierce.

• The project is needed due to the long history of flooding damages that have occurred throughout the watershed, impacting communities as well as agricultural areas.
• The final product will be a Watershed Plan and Environmental Assessment (Plan-EA), which will document existing flooding, evaluate potential strategies for flood reduction, and outline a plan for future implementation of projects identified in the plan.
• Funding for this project is provided by the NRCS Watershed and Flood Prevention Operations (WFPO) program. As such, the planning process and resulting plan must meet NRCS requirements.
• Once the plan is approved by NRCS and adopted by the LENRD, projects identified in the plan will be eligible for additional NRCS funding to complete design and construction.

The Planning Process

The NRCS WFPO planning process generally includes the following steps:

1. Review and analysis of existing resource data.
2. Facilitation of several stakeholder and public meetings, where input and feedback will be gathered.
3. Development of the draft watershed plan, which will then be refined based on stakeholder and public feedback.
4. Provide an NRCS-approved watershed plan for adoption by the LENRD.

Current planning efforts started in late August 2023 and are anticipated to be complete in early 2025.

• LENRD assembled a Study Advisory Team (SAT), comprised of community representatives, property owners, and residents of the watershed, to help guide the development of the plan. As of September 2024, the project team has met with the SAT six times to gather input and share information.
• Project area stakeholders and the public will continue to be invited to provide input on the developing the plan at several project milestones.

past Public Meetings

On June 25 and 26, 2024, the Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources District hosted open house public meetings at the Pierce County Fairgrounds Pavilion and Osmond City Auditorium, respectively.  The information provided at these meetings is listed below.  Communities within the watershed were invited to view and provide feedback on the proposed draft alternatives related to flood risk reduction.

• Meeting Displays
• Meeting Handout
• Channel Cleanout Fact Sheet

On November 6, and 8, 2023, the Lower Elkhorn Resources District hosted its first round of public meetings at Osmond City Auditorium and the Pierce County Fairgrounds, respectively.  The information provided at these meetings is listed below.  Communities within the watershed study area were invited to share their feedback on flooding concerns as well as ideas for reducing the impacts of flooding

• Meeting Displays
• Meeting Handout

questions and comments

Curt Becker, LENRD Assistant General Manager
e: cbecker@lenrd.org 
p: 402.371.7313

Andrea Gebhart, JEO Consulting Group
e: agebhart@jeo.com
p: 402.474.8775