April 10, 2023 at 1:30 PM - Regular Board of Directors Meeting

Rationale: 

NOTE: The agenda is on file at the LPNNRD office and may be changed up to 24 hours prior to the meeting as scheduled.

 

Rationale:  Are there any additions or corrections to the agenda?

Rationale:  Are there any additions or corrections to the Minutes? If not they will be approved on the consent agenda.

Rationale:  The GMDA Summer Conference will be held in Santa Fe, New Mexico on July 10-13, 2023.

Rationale:  Attached find Director Saalfeld's excuse of absence from the January and February Board Meetings. 

Rationale:  Staff will review our current procedure for surface water rights complaints below Lake Wanahoo.

Rationale:  Discussion is requested on issues regarding several parcels of LPNNRD's Wanahoo property.

Rationale:  After interviewing several qualified applicants, I have hired Adam Brockman to fill LPNNRD's Conservation Technician position.  Adam comes to us from Lower loup NRD where he has worked out of the Columbus NRCS office since 2022.  Adam's start date will be April 11th.

Rationale:  After conducting our interviews, Drew Ten Bensel has been offered and has accepted our open LPNNRD GIS/Grants Specialist position.  Drew is finishing his Masters degree in GIS/Cartography from the University of Wisconsin and we have a planned start date of May 29th.  Drew comes to Lower Platte North with nearly five years of NRD experience with Upper Big Blue NRD.

Rationale:  Grant Nuttleman reviewed the February Financial Statement with the Executive Committee. 

Rationale:  The NRD has a CD at Great Western/First Interstate Bank and we need to update the signature cards.  They are requesting a motion to add the General Manager, Gottschalk, and Assistant Manager, Chapman as authorized signers.  

Quarterly we need to inquire about the balance of the CD and would like Breunig to be able to make inquiries on the balance. 

Rationale:  We do not have any unfinished business.

Rationale:  We are anticipating a prescribed burn this Spring by the Bohemian Alps PBA in the area of Wanahoo where Ducks Unlimited wants to restore the wetland and our soil borrow area is located. We will be mowing firebreaks.

With the assistance of the Game & Parks Burn Crew, we burned off a couple fields just off of Hwy 109 on Friday, March 24.

Rationale:  The O & M crew continues to cut trees on our recreation areas and at Rawhide Ditch. Check garbage and restrooms at Homestead and Czechland Lakes. They are also servicing vehicles and equipment.

Rationale:  Collins has submitted Pay Application #4 (attached) for $39,923.02 and is requesting release of a portion of the retainage. As of this application, $53,516.45 is being held in retainage and the balance to finish is $61,646.46. If we release 50% of the retainage, the balance to finish would be $34,888.23. If we release 25%, the balance would be $48,267.34. We could also release retainage based on an itemized approach also. 
A final walk through with Houston Engineering and M.E. Collins will occur after the area is seeded. A punch list will be developed at that time.

Rationale:  Heimann with the assistance of Olssons has developed a bid proposal application to recondition the remaining 22 wells over the next three years.
Proposal requests were sent to 5 well drilling companies and are due April 26. The request asks that the well reconditioning be completed by November 1st of each year.  

Rationale:  As reported at the last meeting, the Corps of Engineers has not financially closed out the Western Sarpy/Clear Creek Levee Project. So, the District should not sell any of the 6 lots at this time. In a meeting on March 23rd, the Corps stated that neither the sponsors or the Corps owed funds to either. But there's an issue with a culvert in the levee in the National Guard Camp that drains Turner Lake to the Platte River. The culvert is too low. Therefore, when opening the gate of the culvert, Platte River water backflows into Turner Lake. The COE has had knowledge of this for 2 years.  We are waiting for an answer as to why, a remedy, and who funds this remedy. 

Rationale:  The District currently mows the Cotterel and Ames Levees with a JD 4450 and 15' mower at a rate of $60/tractor hour..
The committee was sent information from the 2022 NebGuide to assist in establishing a new rate. NebGuides pages are attached.

Rationale:  The District will start managing the Wanahoo lake level one foot down from the conservation pool elevation of 1210 when G & P finishes their Northern Pike sampling.
The District will follow the NE Dept. Natural Resources directive in regard to releasing water for irrigation purposes this summer as reported at our January meetings.

Rationale:  Lower Platte South NRD assisted financially with the repair of the Fuse Plug in the National Guard Camp back in Sept. 2020 and paid LPN $14,641.66 (which is 50% of the local sponsor share).
They are requesting that LPN reimburse them $11,713.32 because we will now receive another 15% from FEMA and 5% from NEMA totaling 95% cost-share. If the CDBG-DR (Community Block Grant) we are applying for comes through on the final 5%, LPN would then reimburse LPS the full amount.
In regard to the Community Block Grant, Chapman and Heimann are working on these grant applications for our four project sites that were damaged by the 2019 flood.

Rationale:  Tom Mountford has sent us a statement of work for engineering services and a template of an RFP. We will draft an RFP and have NRCS review it. NRCS has a application for design and planning on Cottonwood 21-A ready for us to sign. Once it is signed and our RFP is approved, we will advertise and send RFP's to engineering firms.

A motion will be needed at Board Meeting to approve signing the design contract with NRCS after Legal Counsel approval and proceed with RFP process.

 

Rationale:  We have not received any applications or payment request.

Rationale:  Heimann and Schomer met with Henry and Marty Waverka on Friday 3/24 to discuss the potential of installing an archery range on the Wanahoo property.  This will be Henry's Eagle Scout project. Staff has selected a location on the west side of the lake, north of the boat ramp parking lot (see attached map). The range will have 4 targets from 10-40 yards with the potential for expansion in the future. Henry will be looking for sponsors to pay for the materials. At this time, if the Board is agreeable to the project, the District would pledge the ground and some labor to the project. We would also write an interlocal agreement with the Big Game Conservation Association, or similar group, for future upkeep and material purchase. 

Rationale:  Gottschalk and Schomer met with Jake Miriovsky regarding a fish cleaning station at Lake Wanahoo. We discussed potential locations and the pros and cons of each. JEO will be working on an estimated cost for the different locations and get back to us as soon as possible. Staff will be looking into grants including but not limited to the Sport Fish Restoration Act Grant, administered by Nebraska Game & Parks Commission. 

Schomer also met with a representative from Commercial Recreation Specialists regarding a marina/dock system. They are currently putting together an estimate and hope to get it back to us in April so we can assess the viability of the project. This may also fall under the scope of the Sport Fish Recreation Act Grant.

Rationale:  For the month of February, the District received $3,852.50 in annual park permit revenue. The year by year break down of annual permit sales is listed below. 

 

Month	Monthly Total	YTD
February 2023	$3852.50	$19492.50
February 2022	$3825.00	$21707.50
February 2021	$7935.00	$24937.50
February 2020	$6070.00	$22185.00
February 2019	$9677.50	$24635.00

Rationale:  For the month of February, the District received $4,267.89 in camping revenue. The year by year comparison is listed below.
 

Month	Month Total	YTD
February 2023	$4267.89	$8297.90
February 2022	$3540.62	$7148.58
February 2021	$6189.12	$10940.62
February 2020	$1929.90	$4490.82
February 2019	$1607.00	$3974.00

Rationale:  During the month of March, the building was rented 17 times with 1 NRD event. Revenue for the month was $1,120.

Rationale:  March's KTIC radio ad featured a last reminder for upcoming Nitrogen certification classes or to take the test online. April will feature chemigation permit applications are due by June 1 along with prices.

March's Wahoo Newspaper e-ad featured Wanahoo permits available. April will feature an ad for all 3 recreation areas.

Rationale:  The LPNNRD Facebook/Twitter pages, and the website are the fastest and low-cost ways to get information out to the public. Tracking analytics are a way to see if people are seeing the information and what ways seem to be most effective. If you are on Facebook or Twitter, please like, follow, share, or retweet the Lower Platte North NRD posts!

Total reach/impressions show how many people saw the post/tweet. Engagements include likes, comments, shares/retweets and link clicks.
 

FACEBOOK	Total Reach	Engagements	Followers
March 2023	5,403	5,791	1,450
February 2023	8,800	9,065	1,435
January 2023	3,663	100	1,427
December	5,758	163	1,421

 

TWITTER	Total impressions	Engagements	Followers
March 2023	1,906	94	399
February 2023	4,044	213	397
January 2023	1,954	95	391
December	2,570	102	388

Top Posts on Facebook and Twitter:
• Groundwater Awareness week posts highlighting groundwater quality and quantity
• Upcoming beekeeping flyer
• Boat docks in at Wanahoo
• Pictures from Sydney’s St. Wenceslaus Pre-K visit about soil
• NRD Recreation Exploration

 

WEBSITE	Users	Traffic Channel	Top Pages	Devices
March 2023	1,662	Organic 64.6% Direct 21.9% Referral 10.7% Social 2.7%	Lake Wanahoo Home Czechland Lake Downloads Forestry	Mobile 49.34% Desktop 47.71% Tablet 2.95%
February 2023	1,446	Organic 63.2% Direct 21.8% Referral 7.7% Social 7.3%	Home Lake Wanahoo Downloads Forestry Nitrogen Certification	Mobile 49.45% Desktop 47.65% Tablet 2.90%
January 2023	1,614	Organic 67.9% Direct 20.8% Referral 8.3% Social 3%	Lake Wanahoo Home Forestry Czechland Lake Nitrogen Certification	Mobile 50.87% Desktop 47.15% Tablet 1.98%
December	1,156	Organic 62.7% Direct 22.9% Referral 8.7% Social 5.7%	Home Lake Wanahoo Forestry Downloads Contact	Mobile 49.39% Desktop 48.62% Tablet 1.99%

Traffic channels: organic traffic means they use a search engine then choose an option that includes lpnnrd.org, direct traffic means they type in lpnnrd.org directly (or have it bookmarked), and referral traffic is any other traffic not from a search engine or social (such as a link from another site).

Social clicks: 45 from Facebook, 2 from Twitter.
Referral clicks: 75 from NARD, 19 from Visit Nebraska, 6 from NGPC, 2 from the ad on Wahoo Newspaper’s site.
 

Rationale:  The LPNNRD received three scholarship applications for the Shell Creek Watershed Monitoring Group Scholarship: 

Mara, Ranslem, Newman Grove. She has participated in the Shell Creek Watershed Monitoring program since 7th grade. Her plans after graduation include attending UNL, majoring in biology then continue to medical school to be a Physician's Assistant.

Eliza Bailey, Schuyler. She has participated in the Shell Creek Watershed Monitoring Program the last four years. Her plans after graduation include attending Southeast Community College, majoring in Nursing and Diversified Agriculture.

Kathryn Novacek, Schuyler. She has participated in the Shell Creek Watershed Monitoring Program the last four years. Her plans after graduation include attending Northeast Community College, majoring in Veterinary Technology.

 

Rationale: 

• March 9th: Coffee Lakeside: Lake Ecosystems. The presentation covered lake ecology, fish kills, spring turnover, and invasive aquatic species. 3 people attended. 
• March 10th: Wahoo High School Careers Class. Talked with 10 students about my career in natural resources and what we do here at the NRD. 
• March 14th: Gave the same Lake Ecosystems presentation to attendees at the Senior citizen center in Wahoo. 8 people attended. 
• March 15th: Survival Club. John Miyoshi talked with students about fishing. 
• March 23rd: Went to St. Wenceslaus Pre-K classroom to talk about heathy soils, earthworms, and more. 28 students did some soil finger painting and ended the visit with a little dirt in a cup (see attachment). 

Rationale: 

• April 5th: All about bees event (see attached flyer).
• April 6th: Coffee Lakeside: Paula Hoppe is our guest speaker and she will be talking about waterfowl identification. 
• April 11th: Presentation at the Senior Citizen Center over the power of nature-based play and why people of all ages should be spending more time outdoors. 
• April 18th: Survival Club - Campfire starting. 
• April 20th: Fremont Eco-fair.
• April 23rd: Community Fishing Event at Lake Wanahoo. 

Rationale:  2022 Water Quality reports were received for both RWDs (attached) and have been posted to our website.  Per state policy we will also publicly post and notify all customers.
Benal and Elliott attended NeRWA's Annual Conference 3/13-15.  Both received enough CEUs for Grade 4 license renewal due 12/31.  Major topics throughout the conference were; Lead Service Line Inventory (LSLI) and Emerging Contaminant (PFAS, nitrate) and potential/probable future implications to rural utilities; i.e. increased testing/monitoring and possible infrastructure upgrades.
RWD is started to build our LSLI and doesn't foresee any major obstacles with reporting.  When Colon RWD was developed any lead, or galvanized, service components were replaced during meter installation.  All Bruno RWD customers are new (post lead ban 1984) and shouldn't pose a risk

Rationale:  Routine monthly sampling completed, meters read and bills to be mailed 3/31.  RWD responded to 2 locate requests.

Rationale:  Routine monthly sampling completed, meters read and bills to be mailed 3/31.  RWD responded to 3 locate requests.

Rationale:  Consideration of conditions on an updated contract for LPN-V-015-0427 for the NE1/4, Section 20, T14N, R7E.  

Attachment.

Martin Erickson was present at the Committee Meeting and explained the reasoning for allowing him to irrigate during the day was a safety issue along with chemigation at night has concerns.  Mr. Erickson wanted to make sure that domestic water users evaluated their own wells before other actions should be taken.  
It was pointed out that domestic wells are a higher priority than irrigation wells per State Statues. 

Rationale:  Discussion on organic and inorganic fertilizer applications.  Land applications sites for manure applications and NRD oversight.  

The committee and staff heard a presentation from Andy Scholting on manure applications calculations.  Representatives from Mead cattle were also present to discuss how they handle manure.  If new areas are developed for nitrogen management, the NRD needs to conduct studies like vadose soil sampling and isotope water sampling.  All information and sources of nitrogen need to be considered.  

Oversight on other contaminants and who takes the lead.  A brief discussion was held about AltN and the Committee thought it would be appropriate that a NRD representative attend the local meetings. 

Point source shall mean (a) any discernible, confined, and discrete conveyance, including, but not limited to, any pipe, channel, tunnel, conduit, well, discrete fissure, container, rolling stock, vessel, other floating craft, or other conveyance, over which the Department of Environmental Quality has regulatory authority and from which a substance which can cause or contribute to contamination of groundwater is or may be discharged, (b) point source groundwater users such as commercial/industrial, public water supply, and / or recovery well(s) that seek to collectively supply groundwater equal to or greater than 300 acre feet per year to a single facility or operation;

Non-point source pollution shall mean a source of contamination in which the contaminant enters the receiving water in an intermittent and/or diffuse manner where a point source cannot be identified;
 

Rationale:  John Larson has applied for a new well in the SE1/4 NW 1/4 S24-T22-R6W, Boone County, Upper Newman Grove Subarea. He currently irrigates two full circle pivots totalling 270 acres from well G-147097 and would like to break up the system and have one well for each pivot.  

Rationale:  Charles Emanuel & Sons Inc. has submitted a supplemental well permit in the SE 1/4 SW 1/4 S28-T18N-R6E Dodge County . This supplemental well will be used in series with G-033497 and will irrigate 139 acres. They currently gravity irrigate approximately 100 acres with several different wells in the section, the new well will reduce cost on piping well G-068381 to the pivot point. Well G-068381 will remain but the pump will be removed. 

Rationale:  Merlin Groteluschen, on behalf of Darla Rosendahl, has submitted an application to increase the acres of his irrigation system in the NW 1/4 NW1/4 of S8-T19N-R1E, Platte County, Middle Shell Creek, SQS #2. He currently irrigates 142.24 acres from well G-166098. The application is to increase the system by 34.17 acres. This increase would lower his allocation from 27 acre inches in a three year period to 21.77 acre inches. 

Rationale:  The committee and staff discussed new meter policies with no action taken, with more information being provided at the next Water Committee Meeting.

Attached is the proposed district approved flow meter list for irrigation wells with updates to the flow meter policy. If there aren't any suggestions from directors or other staff members, the water department staff recommends approving the motion to approve the proposed district approved flow meter list for irrigation wells and to implement and carry out the additional policies that have been added through this process.

Question for the committee members? Would we want to implement and carry out the newly added policies on the already installed electric-powered meters that are currently installed throughout the district? Or are those ones grandfathered in? Staff recommends leaving these ones alone and handling these on a case by case basis until an issue arises such as dead batteries. At that point in time, we would require that the flow meter from this point forward needs to be powered by external electricity with the battery serving as a backup. Currently, around 100 flow meters district wide are electrically powered by a lithium battery source. 

Rationale:  Committee and staff discuss the accuracy of the names and want staff to double check that these producers are in violation.  The Committee wants to deal with the certifications that have lapsed before evaluating individuals that have never attended.  

Attached is an updated list from this year's certification classes.

The staff is reviewing the current list plus checking on individuals that might not have not attended in the past 20 years. Information from the Rules and Regulations is shown.
Who should all attend?  Update rules?                 Rule 3    Natural Resources District Operator Certification  

Rationale:  Board Meeting is scheduled for April 12 at the NARD office in Lincoln, starting at 10 am.  Bob Hilger is LPN representative for the Board with Dave Saalfeld the alternate.  

Rationale: 

Chemigation renewal permits have been sent out.

For 2022 we have xxx renewals and xx new permit applications for a current total of xxx.  Inspections for xx renewal permits have been completed.
 

Rationale:  Attached are graphs from GWEL wells in SQS #1.  

Rationale: 

The LPNNRD has received # ==== livestock permit applications from DEQ since the last Water Committee meeting.
The Board did past a motion to stay neutral on livestock facilities and the NRD responsibility is with the permitting of high capacity wells.  Manure application is usually treated as any commercial fertilizer, which soil sampling and manure analysis should be conducted and handled by NDEE.  

Name	Livestock	Type of Permit	Legal Description	County

 

 

 Description of permit application

 

Rationale:  Attached is the original inter-local agreement along with an updated amendment that needs to be signed.  The dollar amounts were approved at last month's board meeting.  

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

 

Rationale:  Interest on the cost-share items has increased.  Attached are applications received in March for $58,190.  Two (2) applications are from fields that are right next to the phase area and 1 application is for a second gravity-pivot conversion for the same person.   

Committee recommends that eligible applications need to be within the current Phase 3 boundaries.  Staff will be able to approve applications as long as the amount does not exceed the budget item.   A monthly report will be given to the Committee and Board on items that have been approved with dollar amounts.  

Staff has been in discussion with producers, UNL and Sentinel fertigation on demonstration sites. It appears one site will be developed with staff still looking for another site.  

Attached is an example of a producer with 4 consecutive years in the Schuyler-Richland area.  The example does show some improvement but yield goals might be higher than what the field is capable of producing on a regular basis.  

Discuss: Reporting Dates, an agreement, Dual Reporting,
Current Phase Area triggers: (0-8) Phase 1 (8-10) Phase 2 (10-15) Phase 3 (15+) Phase 4

Committee and staff discussed dates and triggers with no action taken.  

Rationale:  Discussion on Reverse Osmosis (RO) Units, well registrations for individuals.  To help educate citizens, the LPNNRD could leave 4x5 flyers for people who are not home with dual-language flyers. Just nitrate sampling or should uranium, arsenic, etc be added? It is more expensive for these types of samples. 

The committee felt that in certain situations, other contaminants should be sampled if NRD staff found other wells in the area with that contaminate.  At budget time, the committee will look at cost-share on RO units along with assistance for the well registration.  

Rationale:  Staff and committee discussed setting up demonstration sites for individuals for cost-share on soil moisture sensors for individuals in SQS #2 with assistance from UNL plus other areas of the District.  The committee felt this could be conducted within the budgeted amount for this year.  

Irrometer now has the remote capability available for the NAWMDM equipment.  The staff have received information on this option.  

Soil Moisture Sensors Rules update is attached for review, which would allow for rental along with purchase.  

Rationale:  Attached are some recent articles on contaminants plus a map of LPN staff water sampling in 2022.

From NARD weekly report:

Dir. Macy was asked if groundwater nitrates are trending up, down, or staying the same? He responded by noting that is why NDEE wants to do the study. NDEE puts together a report each year, but the wells reported in the groundwater report are not duplicated and that’s why NDEE wants to do the study. The data is good quality but is not duplicated enough to do statistics on it.
The committee asked additional questions about groundwater nitrate, and what NDEE is going to use $1M for? Dir. Macy reiterated that it would be to develop a plan to get more data. He noted that only 28 private drinking water wells over the last 10 years have been sampled to run trends on. NDEE wants a statewide study in one swoop to see where there are problems.
He was asked how frequently NDEE would sample private wells? He mentioned that would be determined through the engineer of the study.
Sen. Erdman asked if the NRDs are doing their job? Dir. Macy noted that NRDs do supply NDEE with the technical information. NDEE is responsible for groundwater quality. NRDs are responsible for looking at where nitrates are increasing and restrict fertilizer application in those areas.
Sen. Erdman followed up with a question of if the NRDs are responsible for this problem? Dir. Macy deferred and said he can’t speak to what the NRDs are doing and said he wanted to look at it statewide.

Rationale: 

A request for ULNRD Groundwater Management Plan to be sent out to the Committee members reviewing LPN plan.  

46-709.

Ground water management plan; required; contents.

Each district shall maintain a ground water management plan based upon the best available information and shall submit amendments to such plan to the Director of Natural Resources for review and approval.

The plan shall include, but not be limited to, the identification to the extent possible of:

(1) Ground water supplies within the district including transmissivity, saturated thickness maps, and other ground water reservoir information, if available;

(2) Local recharge characteristics and rates from any sources, if available;

(3) Average annual precipitation and the variations within the district;

(4) Crop water needs within the district;

(5) Current ground water data-collection programs;

(6) Past, present, and potential ground water use within the district;

(7) Ground water quality concerns within the district;

(8) Proposed water conservation and supply augmentation programs for the district;

(9) The availability of supplemental water supplies, including the opportunity for ground water recharge;

(10) The opportunity to integrate and coordinate the use of water from different sources of supply;

(11) Ground water management objectives, including a proposed ground water reservoir life goal for the district. For management plans adopted or revised after July 19, 1996, the ground water management objectives may include any proposed integrated management objectives for hydrologically connected ground water and surface water supplies but a management plan does not have to be revised prior to the adoption or implementation of an integrated management plan pursuant to section 46-718 or 46-719;

(12) Existing subirrigation uses within the district;

(13) The relative economic value of different uses of ground water proposed or existing within the district; and

(14) The geographic and stratigraphic boundaries of any proposed management area.

If the expenses incurred by a district preparing or amending a ground water management plan exceed twenty-five percent of the district's current budget, the district may make application to the Nebraska Resources Development Fund for assistance.

Each district's ground water management plan shall also identify, to the extent possible, the levels and sources of ground water contamination within the district, ground water quality goals, long-term solutions necessary to prevent the levels of ground water contaminants from becoming too high and to reduce high levels sufficiently to eliminate health hazards, and practices recommended to stabilize, reduce, and prevent the occurrence, increase, or spread of ground water contamination.

Rationale:  Attached is a quote for $1,596 for a new datalogger to replace a logger installed in 2006 on an LPN monitoring well.

Rationale:  Andrew Tonnies, newly appointed director for Subdistrict 3, will be introduced.

Rationale:  DNR notified all NRDs that the reallocation amount for this FY is $157.66.  That can be added to our FY23 state allocation that remains: $81,8143.18
 

Rationale:  We received three new applications for tree planting cost share:

Angie Fuhlrodt  258 trees: $483.75
Bill Zumbrennen  207 trees: $388.13
Kevin Indra  207 trees:  $388.13

With the approval of these applications, the total cost-share amount approved for FY23 = $3,566.26

Rationale: 

The student field trip is scheduled for April 10th in Lincoln to include stops at NDEE, UNL Water Sciences Laboratory, Innovation Campus Plant Growth Research Greenhouse, Assurity Center, and Antelope Creek.  A draft schedule is attached.  If you are interested in attending, please let staff know.
The next SCWIG meeting is scheduled for April 3rd at the Columbus NRCS office.  Topics to include: funding status (319 & NET), student field trip on 4/10, Urban projects, Schuyler golf course (Nation Park service Planning help), AG projects, and SWCS Conference.

Rationale:  Invoice attached from Houston Engineering for work relating to development of the JEDI funding memo and attending meetings to support JEDI funding.

Rationale:  Attached are the current Progress Report and invoices from Olsson's for the past month's work.

Invoice 451816 (1st 3 sites) = $2,873.62
Invoice 451831 (2nd 7 sites) = $62,999.17

On 3/15 Olsson's met with NRCS to review 90% completion.  It was an uneventful (good!) meeting; mostly clarifying how NRCS likes details to be reported.

Rationale:  Attached is the first invoice ($3,437.02) from Olsson for contracted work for land rights acquisitions.  All costs will be reimbursed through JEDI contract. 
After this payment, $206,562.98 remain on our $210,000.00 contract. 
Initial contact letters were sent out with follow-up phone calls.  The final areas were forwarded from Olsson to Great Plains to begin the appraisal research.

Rationale:  Tom Mountford, NRCS field liason, reached out to the NRD about partnering with NRCS in a further WQI.  WQI allocates funding for conservation/management practices that can be funded through voluntary landowner contracts with local NRCS FOs; EQIP.  
The first step would be a "formal" request to NRCS about pursuing WQI partnership and to start with planning phase.  NRD staff will also meet with local NRCS to discuss options.
NRD staff will also be discussing 319 futures with NDEE staff in the coming month.

Rationale:  On 3/30 at 5:30pm there will be a public open house in Fremont, at Johnson Crossing Academic Center, to inform the public about the status, and projected path forward of the East Fremont/Elkhorn Township drainage project.  There is no formal presentation planned, but there will be informational stations set up with personnel from JEO and members of JWMAB available.  Notice of the open house is on our website and has been shard on social media.
As previously mentioned, partner contributions will need to be finalized in the near future.

Rationale:  On 3/20 and 3/27, JEO and members of JWMAB held informational meetings with landowners impacted by potential alternatives from the Rawhide WFPO Project.  
Individual landowners reserved a time slot and were able to sit down and discuss the Project with JEO and partners.

Rationale:  On 3/27 representatives from JWMAB met in Fremont with Greg Johnson of the USACOE to hear the proposal for a General Investigation (GI) study of the lower Platte River; from Columbus to the mouth.  The study does not have federal approval at this time, but if enough local interest (from contributing partners) is generated then the study could commence within the Corps local budget. 
The two main areas of focus for the study would be: Flood damage reduction, or Environmental Economic Business.  Flood damage reduction includes alternatives to reduce flood damage to existing infrastructure via structural (levees, dams, etc) or non-stuctural measures (floodplain enhancement, basement filling).  The Environmental Economic Business includes more multi-purpose uses; floodplain enhancement with recreation components, Antelope Creek.
The GI study will be $3 million dollars with the Corps picking up half, and the local partners picking up the remainder.  Lower Platte South and Papio NRDs have both verbally committed to moving forward with the study.  At this point all plan requests from the Corps for the upcoming FY (begins 10/1) have been submitted.  This gives us, and any new partners (MUD, Omaha e.g.) time for discussions and planning.

Rationale:  - Discuss proposed development in Fremont
- Discuss potential CORPs General Investigation of the Platte River from Columbus to the mouth

Rationale: 

NOTE: The agenda is on file at the LPNNRD office and may be changed up to 24 hours prior to the meeting as scheduled.