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

Rationale:  No unfinished business to address.

Rationale:  Elliott reviewed the current SWCP spreadsheet showing fund balances as attached to the Projects Committee Minutes.

Rationale:  No SWCP applications were presented at this time.

Rationale:  David Fowlkes (Madison Co) - Livestock Protection Windbreak - 200 trees: $340.00
Shanahan Family Trust (Saunders Co - Cottonwood WS) - Terrace w/ Tile Outlet - $6872.13
Iron Court LLC (Saunders Co - Cottonwood WS) - WASCB w/ Tile Outlet - $10,000.00
Don Fujan (Saunders Co - Cottonwood WS) - Terrace/WASCB w/ Tile Outlet - $3387.26

Rationale:  No cancellations were presented at this time.

Rationale:  Wahoo Creek cost share approvals were requested at this time.

Rationale:  The Board has previously approved Jon Gehring 75% up to $12,500 cost share assistance on his terrace and sediment control basin project in the Shell Creek Watershed. Attached is an $47,847.58 total invoice for the completed work.  After taking into account his $25,135.01 EQIP payment, the attached cost share request for $10,750.68 will be our share for his to receive 75% assistance. We plan to turn in this expense to NDEQ for grant reimbursement. 

Rationale:  No new information to report at this time.

Rationale:  No no information to report.

Rationale:  This potential project will be addressed at a later time after more investigation. 

Rationale:  On May 8th, a meeting was held with Union Pacific Railroad,  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 the road 15 bridge on their priority list to be replaced as early as this year.  The 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 100' of capacity which will be far greater than the existing 50' bridge span.  As part of the discussion, UPRR requested that LPNNRD and Colfax County agree to work with landowners for channel improvement and benching, north and south of the railroad bridge at county road 15 to reduce restriction of flood flows to the new bridge. Colfax County Engineer Mark Mainelli  provided the attached map and narrative outlining potential improvements.  Matt Bailey attended the Colfax County's Commissioners Meeting on May 28 and gave an update. It was reported that the County plans to approach UPRR to assist with the requested channel improvements and benching in addition to the bridge replacement.

Rationale:  Attached is the FYRA's May invoice (and progress report) totaling $23,665 for contract work associated with the Wahoo Creek Watershed Plan.  After this payment, $83,306.71 remains under our $574,990 contract.

Rationale:  Attached is an invoice from Olsson totaling $8,914.88 mostly for continued soil geotechnical analysis for Wahoo Creek dam sites 26a, 26b & 27. After this payment, $1,840,774.40 will remain under contract. 

Rationale:  As reported at the last meeting, Buried Past LLC. has completed the Archeological/Cultural Resource Report in the Wahoo Creek Watershed with the exception of a few minor wording inclusions. On May 23rd,  LPNNRD and FYRA had a conference call with NRCS and the State Historical Society to discuss potential ways to address the archeological finding at dam site 83. While requirements are still under consideration, it appears that we may be able to address this issue by including wording in the eventual easement that the area remain in permanent grass and allow periotic monitoring for potential erosion impacts or other disturbance to the area.

As mentioned previously, Buried Past has recently submitted their finial 91 page report and a summary of results and conclusions are 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

Attached is Buried Past's second invoice totaling $22,151.18 for completed contract work.  After this payment, $2,133.66 remains under the original $68,850 contract. No recommendation is required for this contract payment. 

Rationale:  Over the past few months, we have met with Saunders County Zoning and Board in the past to discuss plans for the Wahoo Creek Watershed and our eventual request for a Dam Breach Overlay District for the proposed eleven dams.  Having an overlay district to restrict development of inhabited dwellings within the dam breach paths will avoid millions of dollars in land rights costs. Now that we have received the final breach inundation maps, we are ready to formally meet with the county to finalize our request.  Saunders County works with JEO engineering to prepare zoning restriction requests so we have been in contract with JEO to provide a scope and cost to prepare our needed information by their July 1, 2019 meeting.   The committee is asked for a recommendation to move forward.  There will be a $200 conditional zoning permit fee with the County as attached. 

Sean Elliott will discuss potential issues with existing dwellings located in the breach path. 

Rationale:  No new business.

Rationale:  The Joint Water Management Advisory Board met on May 16th at the Fremont City Office.  Elliot and Mountford accompanied Director's Ruzicka, Olson, Thompson and Saeger.  It was reported that everyone on the Interlocal Agreement has signed. At the meeting, the advisory authorized moving forward to file assistance applications to FEMA, NEMA and the Nebraska Natural Resources Commission (Water Sustainability Fund).  These applications will be requesting assistance for conducting a comprehensive study of the area to  identify water issues and solutions.  The advisory board passed a recommendation that JEO  be hired at a maximum of $10,000 to prepare these assistance request and proposed that this expense be shared by Dodge County ($3,000), Fremont ($3,000), LPNRD ($3,000) and Inglewood ($1,000) as attached.  

We have also been asked to designate two official LPNNRD voting members for the Joint Water Management Advisory Board. The committee may want to consider appointing another two members as alternates.

Rationale:  As reported at the May 13th LPNNRD Board Meeting, Mountford attended the LPRCA meeting held earlier that day.  Attached are the minutes from that meeting.  

Also attached is the final invoice totaling $1,033.51 for our share of a portion of the final expense to complete the Lower Platte River Water Quality Plan that will open up grant funding opportunities for conservation practices on about one-third of LPNNRD not covered by a plan. HDR Engineering Firm has been working on behalf of LPSNRD, PMRNRD and LPNNRD to complete this work and obtain NDEQ and EPA approval.  While most of the addtional work that EPA/NDEQ required HDR to complete for finalizing the plan totaled $34,450, NDEQ provided $17,225, leaving $17,225 to be provided by the three NRD's.  Most of this local expense was taken from banked LPRCA funds, leaving $1,033.51 for each NRD.  

Matt Pillard, HDR, and Carla McCullough, NDEQ, were present at the Projects Committee meeting to review the plan.  Matt has agreed to review the plan with the entire Board on June 10th as our education program.  The completed plan can be viewed on the LPRCA website:
 https://www.lowerplatte.org/what_we_do/current_projects/watershed_management_plan.html
 

Rationale:  Attached is JEO's $10,940 invoice and progress report for work completed under our Hazard Mitigation Plan contract.  Of this amount, 75% ($8,205) will be reimbursed from NEMA/FEMA. After this payment, $194,155 with remains under our $210,000 contract. 

Also attached is JEO's summary of the Flood Recovery Workshop/Open House that was held in Wahoo on April 30th, to assist entities apply for NEMA/FEMA disaster assistance funding.

Rationale:  Marilee Polacek - Section 12 - 15N - 4E (Butler County)
             Five year buffer strip application along Skull Creek, total stream length = 2835', 4.9acres, $230.60/acre = $1,129.94 annual payment.

            

Rationale:  LPNNRD has approved $300,000 of assistance toward Woodcliff's River Bank Stabilization Project (administered by the Sanitary Improvement District No. 8, Saunders County). LPNNRD approved providing $75,000/year over a four year period.  We submitted our first $75,000 assistance payment last year. As attached, SID No. 8 is formally requesting their second assistance payment which is included in our FY 19 Budget.  After this payment, $150,000 or two more $75,000 payments to SID No. 8 remain. It should be noted that this project performed very well with no major damage during this years Platte River flooding. 

Rationale:  No new infromation at this time.

 

Rationale:  Toward the end of each fiscal year, we transfer funds into various sinking funds approved by the Board.  One is the Shell Creek Sinking fund that the Board has previously approved moving unused budgeted Shell Creek land treatment funds (Budget No. 45-204) into that sinking fund. The other to address by this committee is the newly established LPNNRD Flood  Reduction Sinking Fund.  We have budgeted $400,000 this fiscal year to be placed into this fund for future flood reduction projects. 

Rationale:  The Projects Committee adjourned at 9:55 a.m.