January 29, 2016 at 8:00 AM - Projects Committee Meeting

C & L Erickson Farms LLC Conservation work $ 2,375.40 25%

C & L Erickson Farms LLC Conservation work $ 4,338.02 25%

Jean M. Svoboda Living Tr. Conservation work $ 1,598.20 10%

Norm Lindgren Conservation work $ 4,296.94 25%

Wahoo Creek Watershed Water Quality Plan Phase I:   We have expended our $115,000 NET grant award for landowner cost share on conservation practices and programs and watershed analysis.  We are now begining to tap into the $250,000 of federal 319 funding funding approved for Phase I.  The final contract task for JEO is to designate water quality monitoring sites in the watershed.  

Wahoo Creek Watershed Water Quality Plan Phase II: The Nebraska Environmental Trust has ranked new grant applications for 2016 and Wahoo Creek is preliminary approved for $106,000.  This funding will be combined with NDEQ's preliminary award of $168,215 for completing two large project designs and for additional landowner cost share for completing more conservation practices and programs in the watershed.

Meghan's January report is attached.

The quarterly LPRCA meeting was held at our office on January 19th.   Agenda items included an update from Matt Moser, USGS, on the Water Quality Monitoring Network Agreement renewal and potential expansion. They will be approaching partners about possibly adding an additional monitoring site at Leshara.  Presently, we are only cooperating with USGS with a monitoring site on Shell Creek near Schuyler.

 Attached is a handout  describing the potential Leshara real-time water quality monitoring network and an excel spreadsheet that breaks down the 3 possible cost sharing scenarios. The proposed agreement will be executed this spring (March) but the LPRCA will budget the necessary funds in the FY17 LPRCA Budget as payment would not be needed until after that time.  MUD has indicated that they are 90% certain that they can provide $4,000 for the site operation. Matt and Megan Sittler will be attending our February 8th Board Meeting to give an update on water quality findings at this site and discuss USGS's proposal to add the water quality monitoring site at Leshara.  The committee discussed that as we are entering the last year of our three year USGS agreement on the Shell Creek monitoring site, we would be in a better position to partner with a new monitoring site.  Unlike with the Shell Creek site where we paid the entire local cost, Leshara monitoring cost will be less than one-third of that expense as the cost be shared with LPSNRD, PMRNRD and MUD (very likely).  The estimated annual cost for LPNNRD is $7,422 to $8,089 depending on if Lincoln Water System becomes a partner as well. 

An informal conference call was held Tuesday, January 19th.  The City of Fremont will assist the Corps with GIS information to locate utilities. The Corps would like to make a site visit with the assistance of Fremont and Inglewood.  They discussed the lay out of the C-Levee and non-structural options also what to do in a 2 mile stretch along Military St from Ridge Road to ADM.  Options discussed were to use Military, go between Military and the UP Railroad or use sheet pile south of the railroad on Game & Parks Property.  The Corps is thinking about having a Public Meeting in March as the last public meeting was 6 years ago.

There are still issues or discrepancies in the hydraulic flows between Department of Roads and the Corps that may take some time to work out through FEMA.

JEO continues to  work on our breach inundation mapping on 20 non-high hazard dams and further analysis on the Woodcliff bank stabilization project.  Both efforts should be close to completion by the end of this month.   

We received a $17,161.80 invoice and progress report dated January 29, 2016 (as attached) from JEO for HMP work completed under contract.  After this payment, we will have $4,924.90 remaining on our $126,000 contract.  Contract work is 85% complete.