OMAHA, Neb. – A draft feasibility report and environmental assessment for stream bank restoration southwest of Wisner, Neb. is currently available for public review. The report identifies alternatives to provide stream bank protection and prohibit further rapid erosion on the right-descending bank of the Elkhorn River, Cuming County, Neb. Public infrastructure being protected includes the Cuming County Road 6 bridge and roadway.
“The draft feasibility study report and environmental assessment is the result of a comprehensive study conducted by the Corps in cooperation with Cuming County,” said Gwyn Jarrett, project manager. “The study was carried out under Section 14 of the Flood Control Act of 1946, as amended.” Section 14 provides the Corps with authority to study, adopt, and construct emergency stream bank and shoreline protection projects to protect public highways and bridges, other public works, and nonprofit public services such as churches, hospitals, and schools and other non-profit facilities offering public services.
Background: In 2010, the Elkhorn River experienced severe flooding which caused significant bank erosion and lateral channel migration in many areas where the river banks are not fixed by structures, such as bridges, or existing bank protection. The resulting damage affected nearby residents, farms, towns, and businesses and has put adjacent road infrastructure at risk. During the flood, the river channel migrated approximately 600 feet into the right-bank floodplain just upstream of the county road. Future migrations at this rate put the roadway at severe risk.
Benefits of this Section 14 emergency streambank project would include continued access to the north-south arterial transportation in the vicinity of Wisner and Cuming County. Incidental benefits of this project include protection of active farmland from further erosion and damage, and reduction in the risk of streambank erosion and subsequent damage to the local concrete plant.
The draft feasibility study report/EA is available for viewing at: http://www.nwo.usace.army.mil/Missions/CivilWorks/Planning/EnvironmentalPlanning/DraftDocuments.aspx. Copies will also be available at the Public Library in Wisner. Comments can be mailed to: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District; CENWO-PM-AA; ATTN: Wisner Section 14 Study; 1616 Capitol Avenue; Omaha, NE 68102-4901. Comments can also be emailed to: cenwo-planning@usace.army.mil. Comments must be postmarked or received no later than April 11, 2014.
Release no. 20140312-001