The USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service has awarded an architect-engineering services contract for the design stages of a 2,235-acre reservoir in Sullivan County that could provide a source of water for residents in 10 counties in north-central Missouri while reducing soil erosion and flooding.
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Harold Deckerd, NRCS assistant state conservationist, says the reservoir is part of a project in the East Locust Creek Watershed that also includes 94 small, floodwater-retarding structures. More than 70 of those ponds already have been constructed in the watershed since the project was begun in 1987.
The large, multi-purpose reservoir was added to the watershed plan in 2007 to address water-supply needs for the region. The reservoir could provide water for residents in Adair, Chariton, Grundy, Linn, Livingston, Macon, Mercer, Putnam, Schuyler and Sullivan counties. An additional benefit will be the water-based recreation that the reservoir will provide.
“This watershed project not only addresses the traditional purposes of flood prevention, erosion control, recreation and wildlife habitat, but it primarily provides an adequate, dependable water supply for rural communities,” says J.R. Flores, NRCS state conservationist.
Deckerd says the initial architect-engineering effort will require about 1.5 years. It will include field surveys, geotechnical investigations, soil mechanics testing, and evaluation and selection of design alternatives. URS Group Inc., based in Denver, was awarded the contract.
Deckerd says completing all phases of design work for construction will likely require 2-3 years. In the meantime, the North Central Missouri Regional Water Commission, the project’s local sponsor, will continue acquiring the land necessary to complete the project. The $50-million project is funded with a combination of federal and local monies, with NRCS paying about 60 percent of the costs.