State bill would provide flood mitigation funds for Kasson

There is currently a bill moving through the Minnesota State Legislature that would provide funds to Kasson allowing the city to make flood hazard mitigation and public water infrastructure improvements. The bill, Senate File 436, was introduced by Sen. Carla Nelson who represents Dodge County and a portion of Olmsted County, including Byron, in the Legislature.
If passed and signed by the governor, it would provide $5,000,000 to the city to replace and renovate sanitary sewer and stormwater infrastructure and systems, a water main, and roadway restoration.
In the last 15 years, the city has seen flooding near or above the 100-year flood elevation four times. The first time was in 2007, again in 2010, and in 2019 it happened twice. These flooding events have caused damage to infrastructure, private property and had major economic impacts.
Anyone who lived in Kasson or in Dodge County no doubt remembers what two 100-year floods in one year can do.
After the 2019 floods a state disaster declaration was issued. Highways 14 and 57 and County Road 45 had to be shut down, 160 properties reported flooding, including basement, and sewer backups. Kasson’s sanitary sewer infrastructure was damaged and that caused backups in homes and also for raw sewage to be discharged into the public waters.
The state funds would allow Kasson to construct a stormwater impoundment upstream of Highway 14 to prevent such flooding during large rain events and lower the 100-year flood elevation by about two feet throughout the city. It would also replace the infrastructure in the areas of Kasson most affected by the floods.
The bill has been reviewed by the Senate Capital Investment Committee. “This is about the safety and well-being of Kasson residents,” Nelson said. “This is important for the quality of life in Kasson and to protect taxpayers from the full brunt of these needed improvements.”
As legislators go about their business during the remainder of the session it is easy to wonder what is going on in St. Paul. Much of what we hear and people talk about involves issues that affect the entire state, or whether or not taxes should be lowered or raised and who benefits from the government actions, the Metro area or Greater Minnesota.
We should not forget, however, that there are many items in these bills under consideration that affect a smaller portion of the state, like funding for a specific problem Kasson is facing.
These local issues are brought to the attention of the entire Legislature by individual representatives and senators doing what they were elected to do. That is to represent not only the people of the state as a whole but also those living in their specific districts, like Sen. Nelson has done in this case and several others this session.
Just something for all voters to remember as they wonder why some of the bills discussed are even presented at the state level.
Now, if the legislators could just pass a bill that would send Old Man Winter packing for at least a few months. That is something that everyone would agree on.