FINAL PUBLIC MEETING NOTICE
Lick Creek and Dudley Main Ditch Watershed Plan – Environmental Assessment
Restoring Existing Drainage Structures
Notice to all Missouri residents.
The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Stoddard County Circuit Court Drainage Ditch District 12 (DD12) will conduct a final public informational meeting on June 2nd, 2026, from 6:30 p.m.- 8:00 p.m. at the Stoddard County USDA Service Center, 18450 Ridgeview Lane, Dexter, MO 63841 to review the Draft Lick Creek and Dudley Main Ditch Watershed Plan - Environmental Assessment (Plan-EA). This watershed resides in Stoddard County.
Representatives from NRCS and the DD12 will lead and participate (both in-person and virtual) in this public meeting. The purpose of the meeting is to provide details of the selected preferred alternative to improve flood damage reduction opportunities in the watershed by localized cleaning and armoring drainage ditches including armoring of 50 pipe outlets and installation of 8 rock riffles to stabilize head-cutting. Other alternatives considered include: No Action, Creation of a Permanent Wetland, and Buyout of Affected Properties.
The meeting will provide updated analyses on the engineering feasibility, costs, and economic justification of the preferred alternative. NRCS is requesting public and external agency comments on the Draft Plan-EA and the preferred alternative under consideration.
The objective of the public informational meeting includes, but is not limited to:
1. Ensure that the public, private groups, and government agencies are thoroughly familiar with the preferred alternative for flood reduction.
2. Promote an atmosphere of extra-agency cooperation.
3. Provide a forum for the reception and consideration of public input regarding the preferred alternative.
4. Clarify the costs and effects of the preferred alternative under consideration.
5. Collect any existing information/data not yet obtained regarding the proposed project areas.
6. Incorporate written and verbal comments into the decision-making process.
Individuals requiring special accommodations to attend the meeting or who wish to attend the meeting virtually should contact Andy Rackers, NRCS Assistant State Conservationist for Water Resources and Easements, at andrew.rackers@usda.gov or call 578-876-9376.
(May 21, 28, 2026)