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Otter Tail River may get new overseers
Published 4:18pm Tuesday, December 1, 2009Twenty-five percent of a new watershed district proposed by Wilkin County officials would sit in Otter Tail County if approved by the Otter Tail County Board.
However, before Otter Tail County officials agree to any proposal, they want to know if the benefits of joining outweigh the costs.
The issues discussed in a meeting between the two counties Tuesday included educating affected residents and funding about the district, which would stretch from west of the Pelican River to the Red River.
After hearing about the proposal from Wilkin County officials, the Otter Tail County Board unanimously agreed to explore the proposal to create the Upper Red-Lower Otter Tail Watershed District. The motion was made by Commissioner John Lindquist and seconded by Commissioner Lee Rogness.
The commissioners didn’t make a motion of support for the proposal, reasoning that they may find they don’t want to be part of it.
Rogness pointed out that part of the process needs to be learning what the costs and benefits of the watershed district are to residents and the county.
Wilkin County Board Chairman Lyle Hovland said it would mean the county would lose control of the water. He explained, as an example, when the county Highway Department needs to file permits for projects, it would have to do so with the watershed district, which would slow down the project.
To create a watershed district, the county petitions the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR).
Brad Mergens, manager of the West Otter Tail Soil and Water Conservation District, said he sees the proposal as a “great natural resources opportunity.”
However, he also expressed concern regarding how residents would be educated about the proposal. Mergens was designated by the commissioners Tuesday as the county’s contact on the proposal.
The process needs to include informational meetings prior to petitioning the state to create the district, Mergens said, noting that many residents will want to know how it’ll affect them personally.
While BWSR doesn’t require informational meetings, staff encourage meetings to be held prior to creating a watershed district, said Pete Waller, a BWSR conservationist based in Fergus Falls. The next step in the process is to build local support in the townships and counties, Waller said.
Hovland noted that some residents will oppose a new watershed district because they don’t want more government control.
A public hearing is required before the proposal can be approved by the state, according to Terry Lejcher, hydrologist with the Department of Natural Resources in Fergus Falls.
Rogness also questioned whether Otter Tail County townships in the district would have representation on the watershed district board.
Waller responded that when the district is first established, BWSR staff will appoint the initial board based on recommendations from the county commissioners. The board would consist of either three or five members, according to Hovland.
To fund the district, a maximum of $250,000 can be levied, Hovland said.
Mergens questioned how the funding would be collected from residents. Waller responded that it would be a percentage of a resident’s market value.
Commissioner Doug Huebsch wondered if creating a watershed district would bring more funding in for projects. Hovland said his experience with the Buffalo-Red River Watershed District has shown him that being part of a watershed district puts them in a better position to negotiate for funding. The district also could become part of the Red River Basin Commission, which provides funding for projects, Lejcher said.
The watershed district could also become the ditch authority for ditches located in the district. It would be up to Otter Tail County officials if they want to turn their ditches over to the district board, Hovland said, adding that Wilkin County would plan to do so.
The watershed district is being proposed to help with flooding issues, according to Hovland. The flooding in the portion of Wilkin County not under a watershed district jurisdiction is straining the Highway Department and their county budget, Hovland said.
Wilkin County Highway Engineer Tom Richels said his staff doesn’t have the expertise and time to deal with the water issues. He added that a watershed district board could do a better job with it and also have an engineering firm to give advice.
Hovland echoed that sentiment, pointing out that if an entity is consistently reviewing the water, it can do better than the county’s department can.
After creating a citizen committee to research and review different options for flooding, the committee recommended the creation of a watershed district.
“Water issues don’t stop at county lines,” Hovland told the Otter Tail County commissioners.
A watershed district would establish an entity that would remove the politics and focus on the water issues, Hovland said.
The watershed district would include 427.6 square miles, with 75.2 percent of it sitting in Wilkin County and 24.8 percent of it in Otter Tail County.
The watershed district would cover a third of Wilkin County that isn’t currently under the jurisdiction of a district.
In Otter Tail County, it would include Trondhjem, Oscar, Carlisle and Orwell townships, according to a map of the proposed district. It also would cover the southwest corner of Elizabeth Township. The eastern border of the district hits Highway 59 between the cities of Elizabeth and Fergus Falls in the northwest corner of Fergus Falls Township.
The watershed district would cover the Otter Tail River west of the Orwell Dam. The dam would not be impacted.
The western border of the watershed district would be the Red River.
What is a watershed?
There are 10 watershed in Otter Tail County. However, only four watershed districts have been formed that include land in the county, according to Land and Resource Director Bill Kalar.
The Buffalo-Red River Watershed District comes into the northwest corner of Otter Tail County. The Cormorant Lakes Watershed District comes down into the county east of the Buffalo-Red River Watershed District. The Pelican River Watershed District also dips into the northern portion of the county. The Bois De Sioux Watershed District comes into the southwest corner of the county.
There are 46 watershed districts in Minnesota. A watershed district is created when citizens, cities or county boards petition the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources.
Created by the Legislature in 1955, watershed districts follow natural hydrologic boundaries of the watershed, which is land that drains to a lake or river, according to the Minnesota Watershed District Guidebook.
Their purpose is to cover water-related concerns, which includes water quantity and water quality. A board of managers, appointed by county commissioners, govern a watershed district, according to the guidebook.
