May 28, 2020 at 8:00 AM - Projects Committee Meeting

Rationale:  No unfinished business to address.

Rationale:  The following applications are for the NRD's summer 2020 SWCP construction season:

20-C-3:  Randy Brabec - Grassed Waterway - Project is located within Shell Creek Watershed, Colfax County, Section 8-19N-2E;  75% Cost-share of NRCS estimated cost, $8,712.74 = $6,534.56 SWCP cost-share. 

20-P-1: Keith Runge - Livestock well (solar) -  Project is located within Shell Creek Watershed, Platte County, Section 1-18N-1E;  75% Cost-share of NRCS estimated cost, $15,035.93 = $11,276.95 SWCP cost-share. 

20-P-2: Jeff Lusche - Livestock well (solar) - Project is located within the Shell Creek Watershed, Platte County, Section 14-18N-1E;  75% Cost-share of NRCS estimated cost, $14,346.25 = $10,759.69

Rationale:  Randy Johnston - Farmstead/Wildlife Windbreak Tree Planting  432 trees
                              75% cost share ($2.00/planted tree) = $648.00

David Johnson - Farmstead/Wildlife Windbreak Tree Planting - 251 Trees
                            75% cost share ($2.00/planted tree) = $376.50

19-B-1 - Marcella Divis - Terrace w/ tile outlet, grassed waterway
                            75% cost-share = $7,382.50

19-B-2 - Marie Roh - Terrace w/ tile outlet, water & sediment control basin
                            75% cost-share = $12,500.00 (capped amount)

19-S-2 - Louis & Darlene Kavan - Grassed waterway
                            (completed, waiting for paperwork)

19-S-5 - Hartman Family Trust - Terrace with tile outlet
                            (under construction)

Rationale:  None

Rationale:  None

Rationale:  Carl and Dorothy Peterson Trust - Tract is located within Wahoo Creek Watershed, Sec 35-15N-6E, 38 acres ($198/acre) = $7,524.00

Rationale:  Bill Bos continues to follow-up on potential landowner conservation projects in the Shell Creek Watershed. 

At the May 11th LPNNRD Board Meeting, we approved the low bid from Pruss Excavating totaling $167,962.32 for completing the North Channel Improvement/Benching Project which will begin in mid June.  This project is located just north of the U.P. Railroad Bridge near County Road 15, east of Schuyler.  The U.P. Railroad bridge replacement project is also scheduled to begin in June, 2020.

 

Rationale:  We have not yet received the 319 grant agreement from NDEE for signature but anticipate it soon.  The $365,000 319 grant will combine with Nebraska Environmental Grant ($104,688) and local funds for helping complete landowner erosion projects, Shell Creek Bank Stabilization projects including assistance toward the North Shell Creek Channel/Benching Project.

Rationale:  Allen Gerhing, Nebraska NRCS State Engineer, joined the committee to discuss his recent discussions with the NRCS National Water Management Center in Little Rock, AR, regarding the economics portion of our draft Wahoo Creek Plan-EA.  It appears NRCS will require additional economics analysis that could go above and beyond our current contract scope of work with FYRA and delay completing the Wahoo Creek Watershed Plan.  An update will be given at the June 8th Board Meeting.

FYRA has submitted a $14,335.25 invoice as attached.  After this payment, $6,344.52 will remain under contract.

Rationale:  No new information to present.  As mentioned at previous meetings, we are working with NRCS and NDEE on completing additional landowner conservation projects in the Wahoo Creek Watershed.  We have $200,000 of EPA 319 grant funds and approximately $90,000 from the Nebraska Environmental Trust to assist with this effort. NRCS will also be contributing special EQIP funding through the Water Quality Initiative. 

Rationale:  The Olsson team has completed wetland assessments at Wahoo Creek Dam Sites 26a., 26b. and 27.  We may receive an invoice by Board meeting. We have informed Olsson to delay further activities until we receive detail regarding the review and requirements for obtaining an approved watershed plan for Wahoo Creek. 

Rationale: 
On May 19, 2020, JWMAB met to discuss several agenda items (draft minutes attached).  One agenda item was a proposed project by the North Bend Drainage Ditch District. On May 12th, Mountford met with Fremont Representatives  Brain Newton (City Administrator) & Lottie Mitchel,  Dodge County Emergency Manager Tom Smith,  and North Bend Drainage Ditch Representative Larry Ruzicka to discuss repairs and improvements to their four mile stretch of the North Bend Drainage Ditch.  Attached is a map and project description from Larry Ruzicka who has been working with Tom Smith on proceeding through the Notice Of Intent (NOI) process for the project, estimated at $1.7 million total cost.  The North Bend Ditch Project portion is shown on the attached map and narrative as " No. 1."  Dodge County, LPNNRD and Fremont will assist the North Bend Drainage District, Dodge with the application process. 

Another agenda item discussed was a levee stabilization project on Fremont Rod & Gun Club property that LPNNRD, Fremont and Dodge County assisted with emergency repair (each contributed $36,077.50).  A description of the proposed project is attached.  An updated project since the committee meeting is also attached.  This adjusted total project cost is $612,380 with the hopes to receive $450,000 from a community Block Grand (CBG). This would leave $162,380 to be shared by local partners. The Projects Committee discussed our potential partnership and contribution to this proposed project.  One important issue to address is that a public entity should take ownership of the project area (secure project easements) if additional public funding is allocated to this project, which is now on private land.  Fremont was discussed as the logical entity for securing easements to establish this as a public project, however there willingness is not known.  An update will be given at the June 8th LPNNRD Board Meeting with Fremont and Dodge County representatives possibly joining the discussion.

 

Rationale:  JEO has submitted our final Hazard Mitigation Plan to EPA for review and comments. Our Board approved the plan as written on May 11, 2020, which was submitted to FEMA for review.

As discussed at the last committee meeting, there remains $22,000 that is uncommitted in the contract that could be used for other project work if we desire. Of the $22,0000, up to $16,500 (75%) would be reimbursed from FEMA.  A couple of thoughts were completing some breach inundation maps on some more of our low hazard dams and/or complete a Levee Failure Workshop exercise to prepare us and our partners for future levee disasters.  At this committee meeting,  Lalit Jha, JEO, was present to discuss proposed tasks. Attached is his outline of suggested work. The committee directed staff to work with JEO for a potential scope of work to discuss at the next committee meeting.

Attached is JEO's May 29th invoice totaling $16,208.84 for work completed under our HMP contract (progress report also attached). After this payment, $6,700.36 will remain under the $228,000 portion of the contact that LPNNRD has authorized thus far.
 

Rationale:  We received two eligible applications for the Nebraska Buffer Strip Program, both for 10 year contracts:

Janice Wilke Trust - Section 21-18-1E - Total filter strip acres = 3.0. 
Mark Wilke - Section 21-18-1E - Total filter strip acres = 4.8.  

Funding for NBSP comes from Nebraska Department of Agriculture and is distributed annually by the NRD in October.

 

Rationale:  Fremont representative Don Cunningham discussed the City's plans for replacing the aeration system at Johnson Lake and requested our potential assistance (attachments).  The costs for an aeration system appears to be approximately $8,000 with additional costs for electrical work. The committee expressed an interest in partnering on this project and requested a more inclusive itemized cost breakdown to be reviewed at the July 2 Projects Committee Meeting. 

Rationale:  Representatives from Colfax County will give an update on their plans to potentially take the lead to repair the Wolfe Jetty project that was destroyed in the 2019 floods.  This 8 jetty project was originally sponsored by LPNNRD approximately 25 years ago. There will be discussion on how Colfax County, Schuyler and LPNNRD can partner to replace the project.