Pardon cynical observers for saying "Here we go again."

On Tuesday, the Mower County Board of Commissioners meets in regular session. One of the items on the meeting agenda is the proposed watershed coordinator's position.

Len Miller, 4th District, chairman of the county board, said the commissioners will talk about the proposal Tuesday when they meet. Will they make a decision? "It's a possibility," Miller said of an idea that has been studied for over a decade.

This spring after another round of flood buyouts by the city of Austin, a movement resurfaced to make a preemptive strike against flooding woes that plague the city and surrounding areas.

That would be multi-faceted, cost-effective flood control measures in the Upper Cedar River Watershed District.

Instead of throwing flood buyout dollars at the problem, when waters of Turtle Creek, Cedar river and Dobbins Creek reach the city of Austin and inundate businesses, residence and the city's infrastructure, they want to stop, slow or divert the waters before they get to Austin.

The Flood Action Citizens Task Source was the first to jump on the watershed coordinator bandwagon early this year.

Austin city officials and staff listened eagerly and embraced the idea, but the Mower County Board of Commissioners has remained inscrutable.

"Do they or don't they want to be a part of the flood control effort?" inquiring minds want to know.

"We are very hopeful the county will come on board with the city," said one of them.

Kyle Klaehn, a FACTS spokesman, said the organization is still "pushing" for a watershed coordinator.

The organization's members remain "hopeful" the much-discussed job that could lead to the implement ion of flood control measures, will become a reality, Klaehn said..

Background

The city of Austin is on the record, supporting the creation of a watershed coordinator's position. City officials make no doubts about their interest.

At the joint city-Mower County meetings in May and June, they pressed representatives twice from the county to move forward and create the position.

Mayor Bonnie Reitz told county officials two months ago, "There's a lot of interest (in the watershed coordinator proposal) at the council level."

The city's interest goes back to 1991.

A feasibility study was conducted to identify

pollution sources in Dobbins Creek, which feeds East Side Lake.

Another part of the study was to find ways to improve the water quality of East Side Lake.

Topping the list of recommendations was

to create a watershed specialist position.

Fast forward to May 2001,

when a proposal was written to hire an Upper Cedar River watershed coordinator.

Like the proposal 11 years earlier, it was a joint effort of the city and Mower County.

Elsewhere in southeastern Minnesota, tackling water quality and flooding concerns with a watershed coordinator has been tried.

Since 1999, the Upper Iowa River Watershed Project has been

monitoring the water quality of the tributaries of the Upper Iowa River in Minnesota and extending southward to Iowa. A similar multi-jurisdictional effort is what, flood prevention activist say, is needed locally.

Tuesday's county commissioners' meeting could be -- pun intended -- a watershed in the history of flood control discussions.

Craig Oscarson, count coordinator, said late last week, "The county commissioners are studying the issue and could make a decision." He also said, if the proposal is approved, it is likely to be turned over to the finance committee members, who will be asked to make a recommendation to the entire board to fund the position; possibly as early as the 2003 county budget.

County board chairman Miller said creating a position is one thing, "Finding the funds to pay for it is another."

He also said, "It will take a combination of things" and that flood mitigation efforts such as those used by the city of Austin as well as encouraging best management practices of farmland and discouraging development along waterways are other "bits and pieces "of the solution. "One will not work without the other," Miller said.

Lee Bonorden can be reached at 434-2232 or by e-mail at lee.bonorden@austindailyherald.com