Buena Vista County sets aside $40,000 for stalled Linn Grove dam repairs

Buena Vista County supervisors set aside $40,000 Tuesday for Linn Grove dam and in-channel repair work.

The board voted unanimously to reserve the money from the General Basic ending fund balance. The move does not open a new spending line, but preserves dollars that conservation staff could not use this year because FEMA has not authorized the next phase of the work.

Floods in July 2018 and March 2019 damaged the dam and parkland, and a later flood in 2024 brought more erosion and structural damage. That 2024 disaster prompted another Iowa declaration, and Buena Vista County was included for Public Assistance under FEMA DR-4796.

County leaders have already fought FEMA through two appeals and a successful arbitration after the agency de-obligated both the dam and park projects. In a Feb. 4, 2025 decision, the U.S. Civilian Board of Contract Appeals found the county had shown the dam damage was caused by the 2018 and 2019 disasters and was eligible for public assistance funding. The county originally sought $7,563,137.44, then lowered the request to $6,068,422.99 in a reply.

FEMA Region 7 offered $4.5 million in February 2026 for the dam and park combined, and a new appeal followed after FEMA advanced both projects through its internal system on Feb. 3 without county concurrence. That action opened a fresh 60-day appeal window, and state review is still needed before FEMA Region 7 can move ahead.

Greg Johnson told supervisors the county is still pushing paperwork through the Attorney General’s Office and the Governor’s Office. He said the county preserved maintenance dollars this year because engineering work cannot move forward until FEMA signs off on the scope of work.

The dam, park and nearby channel work are meant to restore the site and help reroute the Little Sioux River so it no longer threatens the Linn Grove Bridge downstream. A contractor estimate in February 2023 put restoration as high as $12.2 million, well above earlier estimates and above FEMA’s original obligation.