Proposed Flood Levy for the Town of Kaycee

The Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), the Powder River Conservation District (PRCD) and the Town of Kaycee have been working together since the devastating flood of 2002 to protect the Town of Kaycee from flooding. This process began with a Watershed Project Plan Environmental Assessment and proposed design for flood levies which was completed in 2008. However, funding for the Watershed Flood Prevention Program (WFP Program) was unavailable. This project was put on the back burner at that time, but the groups involved continued to move forward with projects with this goal in mind. Those projects included Russian Olive Removal, the purchase of the Walter’s property, and the Harold Jarrard Park Emergency Watershed Project.

In the spring of 2018, the PRCD was notified by the NRCS that the WFP Program had been re-funded and the Town of Kaycee project was towards the top of the list in priority. The PRCD contacted the Town Council to see there was still an interest in this project. With the Town’s approval, the PRCD and NRCS moved forward with applying for funding to re-affirm the Town of Kaycee Watershed Project Plan Environmental Assessment, to design the flood levies, and for construction cost. The PRCD was granted full funding for the reaffirmation and design process in the fall of 2018 and began moving forward. In July of 2019 NRCS Engineers staked the proposed flood levies and a public meeting was held to answer questions and concerns. There were representatives from the Town of Kaycee, NRCS (field staff and Engineers), Homeland Security, and the PRCD to cover questions regarding the design, easements, FEMA requirements and many other topics. The coordinator for the National Flood Insurance Program stated that if a FEMA approved flood levy was constructed, flood insurance would no longer be mandatory on loans, and flood insurance would cost almost a third less for those that still chose to purchase it.

Moving forward the Town, NRCS, PRCD will be holding individual landowner meetings on Tuesday, August 27^th to answer any further questions and work towards easement agreements. If there is not 100% landowner agreement to the project we will not move forward past this point. With that in mind, the Town and PRCD will be sending out letters to those who live within town limits to get your opinion of the project, whether you support it or not, and any questions or concerns you may have. Please feel free to stop in at Town Hall or the PRCD office and let us know what you think of this project. We respectfully ask that all questions and comments be submitted in writing so that we can be sure to address each one.