More relief dollars are available for ag land repairs

Conflicting news was given to the Rock County Soil and Water Board of Supervisors Monday morning regarding flood-damaged agricultural properties.
Doug Bos, assistant director with the Land Management Office, explained the county would receive an additional $550,000 in flood relief monies to repair damage from the floods of 2014.
The amount is in addition to the $1.2 million in flood relief monies already received.
“The good news is we have more money; bad news is it’s not going to cover everybody,” Bos said.
More than 165 people have contacted the LMO about repairs or improvements, Bos said.
As of Monday, the SWCD supervisors have approved 45 contracts totaling more than $780,000.
Flood events of June 2014 caused an estimated $2.8 million in damages to ag land in Rock County.
The county will be $1 million short in making all the requested repairs and improvement unless the state allocates more flood relief dollars, Bos said.
In order to stretch the current allocation, he said upcoming projects will be ranked in order to install or repair as many waterways, basins and terraces as possible.