What would the flooding be if not for dams, conservation practices?
Nebraska “Silent Guardians” are what we call the hundreds of dams, farm ponds, terraces and no-till farming systems Nebraska farmers and ranchers continue to apply to the land,” said Steve Chick, State Conservationist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service. “They’re silent because they are quietly doing their job of slowing runoff water, holding back large volumes of excess water for a time, and reducing high flow pressures on rivers and streams. Without them, the situation would be much worse,” he said. Frequent and high volume rains over large parts of the state, from McCook, to Norfolk, to Beatrice, are saturating the soils, filling many dams and ponds, and yet causing flooding. The 900-plus flood reduction structures built in Nebraska since the 1950’s, hundreds of terrace systems, farmers planting their crops no-till are all working to slow runoff water. For example, watershed dams from rains on June 4 and 5 in southwest Saline county reduced damages by 1.15 million dollars
