Daily Herald Editorial

When Mower County commissioners select a new representative to the Cedar River Watershed District sometime this spring it will be among the bigger decisions the board will make this year. A good choice will help the CRWD advance its mission of improving water quality and reducing flooding in the area — without creating any unnecessary burden on the businesses and individuals who live and operate in the watershed.

Although it is a newcomer to the list of local government agencies, the CRWD has plenty of power. As it seeks to manage and protect the waters that make up or flow into the Cedar River, the CRWD’s board can create rules that have the force of law. Those rules, once put into place, may affect how farmers work their fields and tend their livestock. They may affect the way that homes and commercial structures are built. They may affect Austin’s ability to protect itself from floods. And they may, famously, even regulate how and where snow can be piled.

The newest CRWD board member will need to understand how water, law and the needs of individuals and businesses inter-related. That’s no easy matter when overly aggressive rules can add up to a massive regulatory burden and big expenses — while too-lenient rules will fail to address the major need for reduced pollution and flooding.

The newest CRWD board member will also play a role in deciding how to spend the more than $250,000 in taxpayer money that the agency collects each year.

In short, it’s a big job. As big as serving on the county board or any other powerful government body. Through the county coordinator, the commissioners have indicated that they plan to take their time and be careful in making this appointment. We hope they will stick to that plan.