A watershed district or Freeborn County? An appointed board or elected officials? The Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) will soon determine which will have ultimate jurisdiction over the water in the Shell Rock River basin.

A public meeting to be held later this month or early in March will provide a forum where representatives from the county, a watershed district petitioner, the Soil and Water Conservation District, and the City of Albert Lea will state their positions, said Jim Haertel, BWSR Water Management Specialist.

“We are not just looking at what the county has accomplished. We are looking at some other things too down there, like what needs to be accomplished from the petitioner’s point of view, and the relationship between the county and city,” said Haertel.

More than 700 citizens petitioned BWSR in 2000, asking them to establish the watershed district, which would create a new layer of government with decisionmaking power over the watershed. After an objection by the county, the agency delayed the petition, giving the county some time to come up with a comprehensive water-management plan instead.

Some lake advocates say new water-control measures, lake dredging, efforts to reduce erosion and runoff, and other projects that woud improve the lakes and the watershed are needed. But there has been disagreement about whether recreational or enviromental concerns should take precedence, and past efforts to create comprehensive watershed cleanup plans at the local level have been unsuccessful.

The county had its required plan in place before the Feb. 1 deadline set by BWSR. However, the funding for implementing the project remains uncertain.

Haertel pointed out one advantage for the county is it can divert existing funds to the water management projects, while the watershed district would have to raise their own funds by imposing new taxes.

On the other hand, the county’s capacity to raise taxes is constrained by the levy limit, meaning funding for the water projects could be in question. But, the watershed district would have the capability to raise funds outside the county tax levy, which may yield more funding for the projects than the county is able to obtain.

“If we have the county levy limits in place like we have had, their hands might become tied, while the watershed district still could (raise money),” Haertel said.

One of the petitioners, Don Sorenson, who worked with the county to lay out the Albert Lea Lake management plan, said he has become convinced that the county is incapable of raising enough funds.

“The basic plan is good. But, the question becomes, ‘Are we going to commit the funds necessary to implement the plan?'” Sorenson said. “If we stick the plan on the shelf and let it get dusty, it doesn’t accomplish anything. That’s what I am afraid is going to happen … Right now, I’m beginning to think the watershed board is the only option.”

Sorenson is particularly concerned with what he calls a lack of cooperation between the county and city. He insists the city is not willing to contribute enough to accomplish the plan created by the county. He says the watershed district authority, which covers both the county and city, can overcome the separation between the two governments.

“If the city and county could cooperate and would be willing to help raise the funds necessary to do this, it would be much cheaper to do it through the county,” Sorenson said.

“We’ve been working for 70-some years. It’s time to take the next step. It’s time to do something now, because if we don’t do it now we’re going to wait another 10 or 15 years. The lakes are too valuable to just let them sit.”

Albert Lea City Manager Paul Sparks disagreed.

City and county officials met with BWSR staff to talk about the implementation of water-improvement projects.

Sparks emphasized the city has been cooperating with the county, and would appropriate funds if there were a needs for extra funding for the projects, though the budget is extremely tight because of the state’s financial woes.

Sparks’s main concern about the watershed district is the accountability of government, he said. The board members of the watershed bistrict are appointed, not elected, officials. The members would be initially chosen by BWSR in consultation with the Freeborn County Board. A year later, the county board will start appointing members for three-year terms.

“Elected officials are a better entity rather than a new layer of government that are not elected,” Sparks said. “The diffusion of authority creates no responsibility.”