June 27, 2018 at 5:00 PM - Water Committee Meeting

Rationale:  Russ Oaklund inspected the meters for verification on July 3, 2018.

Daryl talked to Hammernik on June 27 at 8 am and they were on the way out to install the meters.  The hearing wil be postponed. 
A public hearing is still planned for 4 pm on Wednesday, June 27 on the installation of a water flow meter on a livestock well.  Dicke's has contacted the NRD office but no word if meter has been installed.  
A follow up from Dale Dicke on June 26 reports that 1 meter came in but not the other.  As per Dale's request, staff has been trying to contact Hamernik to get an update on the meter installation.  if staff can touch base with Hamernik the hearing will be postponed to August 1.

Rationale:  A public open house and workshop were conducted at Lincoln North Star on June 19.  This open house explained the purpose and direction of the group.  A representative from HDR should be at the Committee Meeting to talk more about this effort.  The next meeting is scheduled for July 17 at LPS to go over comments from the meeting and proceed onto the next steps. 

More information is available at the following websites.   
The Open House along with the Handouts have been posted on the Consortium website:  http://www.lpsnrd.org/Consortium/PlatteConsortium.htm
We’ve also set up a project email to collect public comments/questions:  droughtplanstudy@gmail.com
 

Rationale: 

Wells Permits Approved: 9

Landowner	Number of Wells	Number of New Irrigated Acres	Type of Well	County	Subarea
Rainier Resource Holdings LLC	1	0	Irrigation (Replacement)	Saunders	Todd Valley
Mary Morrison	1	0	Irrigation (Replacement)	Saunders	Todd Valley
Jon J & Kimberly L Kobza	1	0	Livestock	Butler	Octavia

 

 

 

 

 

 

The total number of approved permits for 2018 is 15

Location of Approved Well Permits for 2018:  Correct as of 6/27/2018

County	Irrigation - New	Irrigation - Replacement	Stock	Commercial	Municipal	Other	Total
Butler	1	0	1	0	0	0	2
Colfax	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Dodge	1	0	0	0	0	0	1
Boone	1	0	0	0	0	0	1
Madison	2	0	0	0	0	0	2
Platte	2	1	1	0	0	0	4
Saunders	1	3	0	0	0	1	5
Total	8	4	2	0	0	1	15

 

 

Rationale:  Gerald Osmera is requesting an irrigated acre expansion of 23 acres in the NW 1/4 of S15-T14N-R5E, Saunders County, Weston Subarea. He currently irrigates 98 acres with two pivots from well G-169045. The new acres will be in the NE 1/4 of the NW 1/4 (see attached map). For reference, if 27" over a three year period is the decided upon usage, it will average 7.3" over the entire system.

The variance for expansion of acres was scored after the Water Committee meeting.  This site is located in the white area with a score of 381.2.  The land classes for this tract were Class 2 - 78% and Class 4 - 22%.

Rationale:  A meeting for the technical group will be held July 16 at Lower Elkhorn NRD, Norfolk.  The meeting will be discussing data collection and reporting. 

Rationale:  The required order has been published in local newspapers for an effective date of July 15, 2018.

Rationale:  Two online test requests have been received in June; one passed test and a certification card was mailed.

Cert #	Cert date	Name	Re-cert	Comments
5612	5/31/2018	Roger Harders	Yes	for Chem permit
7131	5/30/2018	Jordan Emanuel	New	for Chem permit
7132	6/25/2018	Jeremy Ostransky	New	for Variance app.

 

Rationale: 

For 2018 we have 617 renewals and 53 new permit applications for a current total of 670 compared to 639 in 2017.  Inspections for 61 renewal and 14 new permits have been completed.

The breakdown by County for the Total Number of Renewals within the LPNNRD.

County	Number of Renewals
Boone	55
Butler	89
Colfax	42
Dodge	96
Madison	7
Platte	102
Saunders	226

The breakdown by county of the number of renewal inspections completed.

County	Number of Renewal Inspections Completed
Boone	5
Butler
Colfax	13
Dodge
Madison	5
Platte	11
Saunders	27

The breakdown, by county for the ## new chemigation permit applications, are listed below:

County	New Chemigation Applications
Boone	1
Butler
Colfax	2
Dodge	1
Madison
Platte	3
Saunders	7

 

Rationale:  For Committee Review

Rationale:  Staff is planning on submitting a Nebraska Environmental Grant for nitrogen management in the two current management areas in the District.  The grant is due September 4 and gets approved April 2019.  If grant is approved staff would proceed in the fall of 2019, so dollar amounts will not be included in this year's budget. 
This grant is being proposed in stages. 

• Stage 1
  • Conduct vadose soil sampling. 
  • Development of a tool for staff to use in determining best locations for best management practices in curbing the rising nitrate levels. Items to include in this tools could include vadose sampling results, producers reports, water sampling results, AEM flights and well logs.
  • Look at Demonstration Sites with UNL assistance on BMPs.  
  • Conduct public meeting and survey for producers in determining BMPs that they are willing to implement.  
  • Practices to consider
    • Cover Crops
    • Split application of Nitrogen
    • Crop Rotations
    • Irrigation Systems
    • Other Ideas
• Stage 2
  • Implement BMPs that will benefit the District and the producer
    • Cost-share depended on benefit to the aquifer. 
    • Coordinate with NRCS practices with different incentives.
    • Determine a benefit cost for the practices implemented by producers.  
• Stage 3 
  • Determine if practices for reducing nitrates are working like they should for the District and producers. 

Rationale:  At last month's Committee meeting, Tom Christopherson made a presentation on decommissioning well G-040351 near Mead. Tom is asking for a letter of support for 'proper' well decommissioning with special circumstances.  It is realized that this procedure in theory is a better way of decommissioning a well.  Is the extra cost justified without more solid research information? Does the NRD want to support the concept?

Rationale: 

# new wells has been reviewed and approved for decommissioning since the last Committee meeting.

 

Rationale: 

# wells have been plugged, reviewed, and ready for cost share payment approval this month.

Well Owner	Type of Well	Cost Share Estimate	County
Clay Jedlicka	Irrigation	$420.23	Colfax

 

Rationale:  AEM flights have begun in the LPN District with a scheduled media day set for July 2 from 9:30 to 11 am at the Wahoo Airport.  An invoice is attached for the second year of the contract for $375,000 in which $225,000 will be reimburse through the WSF grant obtained by ENWRA.

Rationale:  Test holes have been drilled with monitoring wells installed in Platte and Colfax County.  Both test holes were drilled to over 1000 feet and wells screened at 885 and 940 feet.  Staff will be collecting water samples from these wells yet this year for the purpose of determining the quality of the water for drinking or irrigating.  The third site has not been drilled until costs on the first two is determined.  They are now drilling at sites in Colfax County for Lower Elkhorn. 

A progress report is attached showing that $120,050 has been spent on the first two sites.  Last month a check was written to CSD for $136,700 leaving a balance of $16,650.  Utilizing the unused balance the test hole would require an additional $9,150 to $24,450 in next's year budget.   The difference will be if surface casing is needed.  If the monitoring well is installed another $21,900 will also be needed.  Also the cost for transducers, cords and sampling tubes will be needed for all the sites.    

Staff will need direction on this issue as drilling could be happening in July 2018. 

Rationale:  This week's beach Bacteria and Harmful Algal Bloom results are now posted on the NDEQ web page (http://deq.ne.gov).
GREAT NEWS!  
No lakes tested above 20 ppb for the Microcystin toxin. Therefore, Kirkman’s Cove will be removed from  "Health Alert"  status.  
3  beaches tested high for the E.coli bacteria this week. Rain in an area usually brings with it higher runoff which often times carries E. coli with it. So use your best judgement when visiting those beaches and others that may have recently received heavy rainfall.
 For further information about our BeachWatch Program, E.coli, HABs and the microcystin toxin please visit the links on our BeachWatch website. (http://deq.ne.gov/NDEQProg.nsf/Beaches2018.xsp)

Harmful Algal Blooms

No Lakes will be on "Health Alert" this week. NDEQ in conjunction with numerous collaborators monitor public beaches and sample for microcystin, a toxin produced as a result of a Harmful Algal Bloom. A lake that exceeds 20 ppb of microcystin will be placed on "Health Alert". That lake will remain under  "Health Alert" Status until such time that it has tested below 20 ppb for two continuous weeks.
If a lake is under a Health Alert, signs will be posted recommending people avoid full body contact activities such as swimming, wading, skiing, jet skiing, etc.

Bacteria
Lakes that tested high for E. coli bacteria this week are listed below. E. coli  bacteria levels measured above 235 colonies/100 ml of sample are considered a higher risk for illness when swimming.  Considering the more rapid changes in bacteria conditions, signs are not posted with these higher levels although we want people to be aware and use their own judgment on their use.
 Lakes with High E. coli Bacteria Levels
 

Lake Name County Last Updated E.coli Bacteria Lewis and Clark Reservoir Knox 6/21/18 411   Louisville Lake No. 2 (SRA) Cass 6/21/18 1414   Valentine Mill Pond Cherry 6/21/18 1733

  This information is updated weekly on  http://deq.ne.gov/NDEQProg.nsf/Beaches2018.xsp . 
 

Rationale:  Staff would like permission to authorize the Phoenix Work Group to proceed with the change order and the workflow contracts if approved at the July Board Meeting.  The approximate total costs would be $31,200 with $18,300 due at signing of the contracts.  The third contract is for online producer reporting contract for $65,600, which could be approved after reviewing the NRD budget. An invoice is attached.   

If time, staff will be making a presentation on what has been developed.

Rationale:  Committee Discussion

• Domestic Wells interference
  • Attached is a document from David Aiken on this issue
• Land Use Regulations

Rationale:  A report is attached on the GMDA conference.  The winter conference is planned for January 7 - 9 in Phoenix, AZ.