About WSU Environmental Finance Center's Meramec Healthy Watershed Funding Project
The Lower Meramec Watershed is highly flood prone due to the increased frequency of heavy rain events, topography, and development that has reduced the areas of wetland and open space able to soak up rainfall. As a result, these communities have experienced repetitive flood damage and three record flood events since 2015.
As a result of the flooding, the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Silver Jackets initiated a Floodplain Management Plan project that brought together local, state and federal organizations to reduce flood risk and other disasters. The Healthy Watershed Options for the Meramec River Project was developed as a piece of the ongoing risk mitigation efforts.
Communities in the watershed identified political, capacity and funding barriers to the implementation of healthy watershed options, and requested that a cost-benefit analysis be developed along with resources and tools to support decision-making for healthy watershed stormwater projects. The EFC developed a searchable online database so that communities could match funding options with their Meramec watershed projects. Although this tool is designed for Meramec River initiative, it is also applicable and functional for all Missouri watershed projects.
Questions about the Meramec/Missouri Watershed Funding Tool? Contact Tonya Bronleewe, tonya.bronleewe@wichita.edu, (316) 978-6638.