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 242,563 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.

This project is focused on identifying potential solutions to flooding within North Fork Elkhorn River Watershed.

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 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 has 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.
• Project area stakeholders and the public will continue to be invited to provide input on the developing the plan at several project milestones.

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

• Meeting Displays
• Meeting Handout