May 2, 2019 at 7:30 AM - Projects Committee Meeting

Rationale:  No unfinished business to address.

Rationale:  Clint Vandenberg - Bone Creek WS (Butler CO)
                               WASCB w/ TO - $12,500.00

Rationale:  SWCP Tree Cost-Share Assistance
            Waylan Dicke - Platte Co - 200 trees - $217.50

Rationale:  None

Rationale:  Leon Vermeline - SEC 20-15-6- North Fork Wahoo Creek  
                 10AC - $1900.00

Rationale:  On April 29th, LPNNRD Director/SCWIG member Matt Bailey along with Mountford attended a SCWIG meeting in Columbus. Bill Bos, NRCS, gave an update on several projects underway along with potential for two or three others. The group will continue to follow-up on future opportunities to use approximately $80,000 of old grant funds along with approximately $400,000 of newly approved grant funding from NDEQ and NET.  Attached are minutes from the group's April 28, 2019 meeting.

Bailey and Mountford have been in contact with Daryoush Razavian, Olsson, who is the hired engineer for Union Pacific Railroad assigned to Shell Creek railroad bridge replacement on road 15 just east of Schuyler.  This 1929 bridge has been a choke point inhibiting Shell Creek Flows to the Platte River and enhancing flood damages on lands east of Schuyler for many decades.  On May 8th a meeting was held with UPRR, Colfax County, SCWIG and LPNNRD representatives to coordinate county bridge replacements on roads 14 and 15.   We were pleased to learn that the UPRR has this bridge on their priority list to be replaced as early as this year.  The ultimate goal is to finally have a properly sized structure to more adequately pass flood flows and reduce flood damages to the north.  It appears that the replacement bridge will have at least double the capacity of the existing 50' bridge span.  As part of this process, UPRR requests that LPNNRD and Colfax County have an agreement stating that we intend to work with landowners for channel improvement and benching, north of the railroad between county roads 14 & 15, to reduce restriction of flood flows to the new bridge.  Colfax county will be providing verbal to use for an eventual interlocal by the next Projects Committee Meeting on May 30th. 

Also, as attached, we received one application for a potential septic system upgrade, however after inspection, this may be just a maintenance issue.  

 

Rationale:  Mr. Sprunk has indicated an interest to complete this project so we meet with him to review the project plans and answer questions in May. If everything is approved by Mr. Sprunk, the project could be ready for summer construction.

Rationale:  We have approximately $80,000 of  NDEQ/EPA 319 old grant funds available for projects and are awaiting an agreement from NDEQ regarding the approval of our new $300,000 319 funding.  Poole and Mountford attended an Nebraska Environmental Trust (NET) grant workshop in Grand Island on April 12 regarding our newly approved $104,688 from Nebraska lottery funds. These funds will be used mostly for grade control & stream bank stabilization projects along with upland landowner erosion control projects.  

Rationale:  Attached are Newman Grove invoices totaling $1,482.49.  We are being asked to reimburse for the actual costs for the water testing equipment and supplies which totals $1,482.49.  The shipping cost of $69.24 will be paid by the School  for water testing equipment and supplies purchased for 2019. The Committee recommendation for reimbursement is requested. The District's expense will be deducted from Shell Creek banked (prepaid) grant funds.  

Rationale:  As supported by the Board, several Newman grove students attended the UNL field trip on April 22nd.  This event was a big success as the students toured the water sciences lab and listened to several presenters discussing water quality and related UNL's work on how it relates to issues in Shell Creek. Attached is Elbert Traylor's (NDEQ) summary of what occurred  that day. 

Rationale:  Attached is FYRA's April 26th  invoice for $51,857.52 and report on work completed on the Wahoo Creek Watershed Plan.  Also attached is Mike Sotak's e-mail on work accomplished with NRCS on plan economics. After this payment, there will be $106,971.71 remaining under contract. 

Rationale:  We have prepared a reimbursement request to NDEQ for summer 2018 Lands for Conservation (LFC) payments.  We are preparing for 2019 LFC approvals and are still anticipating Saunders County to present an assistance request for grade stabilization structures near priority bridge locations. 

Rationale:  Attached is Olsson $19,635.09 invoice and progress report for contract work completed in the Wahoo Creek Watershed.  Most of this work involved soil anayliss for Wahoo Creek Dam Sites 26a, 26b & 27. After this payment, $1,873,228.13 remains under contract.

Rationale:  LPNNRD and FYRA has continued to work with Buried Past and NRCS cultural resource personnel to answer questions and provide additional information regarding historic and archeological information. Buried Past has recently submitted their finial 91 page report (April 2019) for NRCS review and a five page summary of their conclusions and recommendations is attached.  Anyone interested in looking at Buried Past's full detailed report, it can be found at:   https://drive.google.com/file/d/1raIiHaiHWfx1zOlzlrxrTCxjCQzerFYr/view?usp=sharing

No invoice has been presented at this time.

Rationale:  EPA has approved the Water Quality Watershed Plan that has been lead by the Alliance and basically covers about a third of our District not previously covered by a plan. We will be working on completing a project implementation plan with NDEQ assistance.  Mountford has been requested to attend their next meeting on May 13th.  

Rationale:  To assist communities, entities and others in their disaster recovery processes, LPNNRD has worked with JEO (under our HMP grant), to host a Recovery Workshop Open House on April 30^th, 2019 from 3:00 - 6:00 pm at the Union Bank & Trust in Wahoo Wahoo,.  This turned out to be a successful event with several entity representatives attending. Experts were available to answer questions regarding disaster funding, community floodplain management, flood insurance, NEMA/FEMA recovery processes, engineering concerns, and how to complete the request for public assistance forms.  People came with questions and received guidance on applying  for federal grant assistance. JEO contacted numerous individuals by e-mail, post cards and phone calls (attachments)  in an attempt to get as many there as possible.  JEO offered to conduct this work for $10,000 of which 75% is reimbursable through the HMP grant.
This meeting  sets the stage for the upcoming Lower Platte North NRD Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update, allowing for a discussion focused on how jurisdictions can incorporate disaster recovery efforts into long-term resiliency projects.  

Attached find an invoice from JEO for work completed on the Hazard Mitigation Plan and Workshop in the amount of $4,905.00.  This amount includes expenses for the funding workshop held on April 30th. 

Rationale:  On April 18th, there was another meeting including representatives from Fremont, Dodge County and LPNNRD to review a revised draft interlocal agreement to address Dodge county water issues.  Attached is the revised interlocal for Committee/Board review and potential approval to be a member of the Joint Water Management Advisory Board.  This interlocal is basically generic, intended to identify various entities/partners willing to work together to work on future Dodge county water issues.  By itself, does not commit anyone to any specific effort or project.   Specific tasks or project would be considered with separate future addendums to the agreement. 

While the committee has been generally in favor of being a part of an Interlocal, no recommendation was offered until it was known what entitles were actually going to take part and after all final changes were known. 

Brain Newton, Fremont City Administrator, has since made final edits along with contacting all other proposed entities,  who have now indicated that they will sign the agreement.   

At the May 13th  Board meeting,  a motion approving the Joint Water Management Advisory Board Interlocal Agreement and authorizing the Board Chair to sign the agreement will be needed to proceed.  
 

Rationale:  On April 25th, LPNNRD  Directors Saeger and Olson along with staff members Mountford and Elliott, met with Fremont Rod & Gun Club, City of Fremont and  Dodge County representatives to discuss and tour flood damages to the Rod and Gun Club area that also includes damage to the City of Fremont. Attached is a graphic that shows the flow patterns documented during the March 2019 flood event. The graphic shows several breach locations that led to flood flows impacting Fremont and Inglewood. The second attachment is a map showing the damage locations (boxed numbers with leaders) on the Rod and Gun Club property, listing the lake numbers within that property. The Rod and Gun Club property experienced a significant breach into their Lake #8. Flows continued east and breached into Lake #5, Lake #7, and then County Road 19 into NGPC’s Fremont State Recreation Area Lake #20. Flows then continued east into Lake Liba and toward Fremont. The breach at County Road 19 and the breach between Rod and Gun Club’s Lake #5 and Lake #7 have been temporarily fixed. The large breach into Rod and Gun Club’s Lake #8 has not been repaired. The breach at Lake #8 presents a significant risk to the temporary repairs at County Road 19 and other infrastructure further east, as that location is currently connected to the Platte River and will experience increased flows during even small runoff/precipitation events.  The Rod and Gun Club is seeking a required public sponsor to apply for federal assistance through FEMA/NEMA.  While it was discussed that Fremont, Dodge County and LPNNRD sponsor this repair, Fremont offered to be the lead entity moving forward.  Because of application assistance deadlines, this topic will be discussed at every committee meeting.  JEO addressed this topic with the Projects committe and will be available at the May 13th Board meeting to discuss the topic as well.  

JEO gave a presentation on Flooding around the Fremont and Dodge County area as attached.  Committee members present commented that Fremont is the logical entity to sponsor the R&G Clubs federal assistance applications and no recommendation was offered at this time.

 

 

Rationale:  LPNNRD staff has been working with NRCS requesting federal assistance from the Emergency Watershed Protection Program (EWPP) on several District sponsored and owned projects that sustained flood damage.  NRCS has respond (letter attached) and is scheduling site visits at a few sites that appear potentially eligible,  We plan to pursue FEMA assistance on those projects deemed ineligible for EWPP.  

Rationale:  As attached, Greg Johnson, USACE,  has requested a new letter of intent from LPSNRD, regarding their, PMRNRD and LPNNRD's support and local sponsorship toward a possible Lower Platte River Ecosystem Restoration Feasibility Study for federal fiscal year 2021 budget. While we originally supported a letter of intent for this study, we have since had questions/concerns on what is the potential for actual benefit to LPNNRD by participating.  The original hope and indication was that it could lead to federal assistance for flood prevention projects along the Platte River, but this seems a bit vague how this would happen.  There is also the issue of starting something new with USACE while we have been struggling to close out the Sand Creek Restoration and Western Sarpy Clear Creek Projects. 

As outlined  in Greg's email, they are pursuing a feasibility study instead of a watershed study. The advantage is that the report can establish a project (or projects) which can be authorized for cost-shared construction. The disadvantage is that the cost sharing on the study is 50-50 (instead of 75-25).  The Corps budget process favors flood risk and navigation, so their thought is to keep ecosystem restoration in the proposal, but bolster the description of how it would serve multiple purposes of reducing flooding; increasing floodplain storage; reconnecting disconnected habitats; and restoring instream, wetland, and riparian habitats. They believe there is significant opportunity to achieve all of those goals along the Lower Platte. 

We are unsure what LPNNRD may be asked to support in the future, but LPSNRD has sent an intent letter (attached) to keep the door open for a possible study opportunity with USACE that could potentially assist with federal funding for flood planning and projects. No formal recommendation from our Board is being requested at this time, but as more details emerge, be may be asked about our interest in participating in a study later this year.

Rationale:  Attached find a bill from PMRNRD for our 2019 payment on the Western Sarpy Clear Creek Project in the amount of $133,680.94.

Rationale:  The Projects Committee adjourned at 9:51 a.m.