Nebraska's Giant Flood Project Flushed Down Bureaucratic Drain
Published Date: 3/25/2026
Notice
Summary
The USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service is canceling plans to study the environmental impact of a big flood control project in five Nebraska counties because the project area was too large and no good alternatives were found. This means no Environmental Impact Statement will be made, and the project is officially stopped as of March 25, 2026. Local communities and farmers won’t see changes or spending from this project now.
Analyzed Economic Effects
1 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 1 costs, 0 mixed.
Wood River Flood Project Terminated
The USDA’s NRCS has terminated the Lower Wood River Watershed flood control planning and rescinded the Environmental Impact Statement notice as of March 25, 2026. The preferred plan would have captured about 323,400 acres, which exceeds the statutory maximum of 250,000 acres in Public Law 83-566, so planning, spending, and the proposed diversion channel and other flood-risk measures will not proceed for the affected communities and agricultural lands in Buffalo, Custer, Dawson, Hall, and Merrick Counties, Nebraska.
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Key Dates
Department and Agencies
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