Flood utility not free

A quarter of Minden's annual precipitation for -the year fell in the first two weeks of October. The last time El Nino generated this much moisture was the 1997 New Year's flood.

We're lucky the combination of lake effect snows on Oct. 4 and Tuesday's wet rain storm weren't closer together, or in December instead of October, or we might have just seen the sort of flooding Carson River is capable of.

That's why it seems appropriate to discuss funding a stormwater master plan for Carson Valley.

Flooding here isn't all about the Carson River, which winds through the Valley. Streams from the mountains pour into the Valley from all sides. Areas of northeastern Carson Valley are subject to flash flooding.

There's a reason to have a flood utility, but it's no secret that it won't come free.

According to County Engineer Mahmood Azad, Valley property owners will have to pay between $2.50 and $4 a month to provide matching funds for grants to build flood control structures, to maintain those structures and to hire a superintendent and a part-time grant writer should the county approve the utility.

Unlike a taxing district, the utility could be established by Douglas County commissioners without going to the electorate. Because it's a utility, the cost per property would depend on what impact it had on stormwater.

It's rare that Douglas' commissioners would approve a measure like this without consulting voters. We'll be interested in seeing what reaction property owners have to the proposal.