Flood Easements Offered To Residents Of Pile Driver Slough Area
Solution Follows Year-Long Study of Flood Prevention Options
The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) signed an agreement with the Fairbanks North Star Borough to implement the voluntary Floodplain Easement Program for property owners in the Pile Driver Slough area who have been affected by annual flooding of the Tanana River.
The agreement follows a request from affected residents for technical and financial assistance to alleviate damages associated with annual flooding, and a year-long, multi-agency task force investigation determining the feasibility of both structural and non-structural flood prevention measures.
Under the Floodplain Easement Program, a landowner retains ownership of a property but voluntarily sells a permanent conservation easement that provides for the restoration and enhancement of the floodplain's functions and values. In exchange, a landowner will receive a payment based on the property's fair market value plus costs associated with the demolition of a permanent structure or costs associated with the relocation of a primary residence.
Landowners retain several rights to the property including quiet enjoyment, the right to control public access, and the right to undeveloped recreational use such as hunting and fishing. Landowners may also obtain authorization from NRCS to engage in other activities such as managed timber harvest and haying or grazing if NRCS determines those activities are compatible with protection and enhancement of the easement's floodplain functions and values.
A 45-day sign-up period for the program is anticipated to begin January 1, 2005, and will be conducted by the NRCS and the Fairbanks North Star Borough. To be eligible, a property must have experienced flooding within the last 12 months or two incidences of flooding within the past ten years.
Following sign-up, eligible properties will be assessed to estimate costs, determine potential environmental and social impacts, and identify the potential for hazardous waste material present on the offered acreage. Applications will then be prioritized based on criteria established with community input such as hazard zones, distance from active stream-bank, the presence of a permanent residence or seasonal dwelling, and the length of active stream-bank on offered acreage. Appraisers will be assigned to determine the fair market value of the property selected for conservation easements.
The Pile Driver Slough area, located approximately 30 miles south of Fairbanks, contains approximately 162 properties which contain permanent dwellings, seasonal cabins, and other associated structures that are affected by the annual flood events.
Interested landowners can contact the NRCS Delta Junction Field Office or the Salcha-Delta Conservation District at (907) 895-4241 for more information.
The Natural Resources Conservation Service puts nearly 70 years of experience to work in assisting people to conserve, maintain, and improve our natural resources and environment. NRCS works in partnership with local conservation districts serves almost every county in the nation, and the Caribbean and Pacific Basin. Participation in NRCS programs is voluntary.