SYCAMORE, Ill. — Dean Johnson knows what it feels like, as a farmer, to see a season’s hard work washed away by flooding.

“I farmed right along the Kishwaukee River. I always tell people it’s because of that river that I have this job today, because flooding was an issue when I was farming. It beat me up and I finally had to just say — this isn’t working anymore. And that’s what brought me here,” Johnson said.

He has been the resource conservationist at the DeKalb County Soil and Water Conservation District for 20 years.

In 2014, county officials decided they wanted to take a proactive approach to stormwater management and planning, in the form of developing a watershed plan.

The idea of developing a plan before it was needed was a step ahead in itself. Funding for the watershed planning comes from a variety of sources, including the DeKalb County Community Foundation.

Read the full story by Jeannine Otto of AgriNews by clicking HERE.

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