A strong consensus persists among the city of Austin, Cedar River Watershed District and Austin businesses. They all want the North Main flood mitigation project to move along quickly.

But until the CRWD’s draft rules are sent for review and set in motion, there remain some unknowns.

The city wants to know if the rules will affect the flood control project — a project that has been several years in the making. And because the city has been molding its project for longer than the CRWD has been drafting its rules, the city wants to be exempt from the rules.

“Is a permit required for our project from the CRWD?” City Engineer Jon Erichson asked during a workshop before the CRWD board meeting Wednesday night. He’s concerned some rules could hinder the flood project if the city weren’t exempt.

Erichson said the project is so large, it will be completed in several phases. But either way, the city will likely start putting some earthen berms and walls up as early as April.

“Earthen berms and structural walls is what you see in every city,” Erichson said. “This type of project is done all over.”

CRWD members acknowledged these flood control measures and had no issues with them.

The CRWD doesn’t want to stand in the way of the project. Mike Jones, CRWD board member said they’ve wanted to expedite the process. However, the river flow data he and the board wanted from the city wasn’t yet provided, and that’s the only other information CRWD would want.

Although nothing is legally stopping the city from beginning its projects, the city wants assurance that the rules won’t change the scope of the project.

One rule states that land removed from the flood plain must be replaced elsewhere at a 2-1 ratio. Because the city plans on removing 59 acres from the floodplain, it doesn’t want to provide 118 acres elsewhere — something Erichson said was not practical and could cost millions of dollars.

Although the CRWD will likely make exceptions for the city, it is still unclear if the city will be exempt from the rules or if it must apply for a special permit.

Officials will have to further study the situation into March, when the CRWD is set to send the final draft of its rules for state review.