Public Meeting To Be Held To Discuss Feasibility Study Regarding Concrete Chute Of Little Goose Creek

Anyone who has seen the Little Goose Creek on the northside of downtown Sheridan, has also seen the concrete chute, and some are wondering if some of it still needs to be there. 

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District in coordination with the City of Sheridan, will hold a public meeting on Tuesday, February 13, from 6-7 p.m. at the Best Western Sheridan Center regarding the Draft Feasibility Report for the Little Goose Creek General Investigations feasibility study and to receive input on the alternatives and tentatively selected plan.

Members of The US Army Corps of Engineers have been conducting the feasibility study to see what kind of impacts would happen, if portions of the concrete chute were removed in certain areas.

Portions of the chute might be removed to allow for a more natural stream bed, floodplain connection, native vegetation plantings, improved habitat for aquatic species, improved fish passage, and restored natural connection between the upstream and downstream areas. 

Recreation measures may also be developed to enhance the benefits to the community.

Greg Johnson with the US Army Corps of Engineers says removing too much concrete would undo the reason why it was put there in the first place, which was to stop a problem that happened many decades ago.

“Obviously it was a flood control channel. It was designed for a flood control channel. It has a flood control purpose that it has served well for 40 years plus, so we want to maintain that, so it’s kind of balancing what can we do to make it more green and environmentally friendly while still maintaining that flood risk protection.”

The US Army Corps of Engineers has many districts across the country, and the district based in Omaha, Nebraska oversees various projects in Wyoming that are east of the Continental Divide.