April 3, 2025 at 7:30 AM - Projects Committee Meeting

Rationale:  On 2/28/2025, JEO responded back to the State NRCS on their comments to the Final Plan EA.
Discussion on who from the NRD should lead conversations with the City & County on future financial contrinutions for construction of this project.

Rationale:  SCWIG met on March 17th at the Columbus NRCS office.  Items of note that were discussed included: a student tour, purchasing additional polios, planned well  & cistern abandonment, 10 septic upgrades approved and waiting for completion, and potential large bank stabilization by Christ Lutheran School in Platte County.  

SCWIG is planning another tour in Lincoln for  our Volunteer Monitoring Students on April 21st.  Our tentative plan is to have it similar to the previous tour in 2023 but exchange our Antelope Creek tour with a USGS stream gauge tour (2023 schedule attached).  Once again, support from the NRD is requested to cover lunch for students and sponsors as well as stipends for teachers.  Buffet lunch at the East Campus Union is $14.22 per person and stipend is $130 for the day.  Current NED and/or 319 grant funds can likely cover both costs but are not guaranteed.

SCWIG is also requesting additional polo shirts with SCWIG logos for active volunteer monitoring students.  Embroidered polos are approximately $26.00 each.

Newman Grove has submitted a requet for vouunteer monitoring testing supplies estimated at $2,234.95 (atached spreadsheet).

The next SCWIG meeting is scheduled for June 16th with Moria Brown from UNL to present her work regarding bacteria antibiotic resistance in Shell Creek. 

Bill Bos submitted paperwork for a completed septic system:

Jeff Johnson

Onsite Wastewater

$6,000

$5,974.96

Rationale:  Attached is monthly construction meeting minutes, hightlights:

• Weather has caused delays in progress
• Focus of work has been on site 27
  • Plunge pool excavation, rip rap placement/stockpile
  • Shanahan will begin installing sand drains 3/20
  • Shanahan has been battling water flows and could cause more issues later this spring
• Thompson plans on placing pipe supports first of April

Attached is TCI pay invoice #4 and Olsson contruction oversight invoice.

Rationale:  On 3/21 Olsson submitted applications to DNR for site 84; Permit to Impound water and Dam design approval.
Olsson expects to have site 77 ready for NRCS National Watershed review the first week of May.  Site 77 (due to size) is the only site required for national review.
Olsson completed biological assessment for final six sites USCOE 404 permit; currently being reviewed by NRCS, NRD.  This permit mirrors the permit approved for the first three sites.
Current invoice for engineering services attached.

Rationale:  We expect to have site 85 and potentially site 77 (pending mitigation details) by Board meeting.
Discussion on final two site 55 parcels, and Cerv parcel.
Attached are invoices from Great Plains for site 77 & 85 appraisals.
 

Rationale:  Project cost discussion with handouts/attached

Rationale:  At our January Board meeting, a motion was passes to "approve up to a five-year proposal if other agencies agree for continuous water quality and data collection at the Leshara site"
Attached are the final documents and an agreement for Chair Sabatka to sign with the Lower Platte South.
Current plan is to schedule the next meeting in May.

Also attached is our recycled annual joint funding request to USACE for the 'Lower Platte River Restoration and Resiliency, Nebraska - Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Comprehensive Study - Letter of Intent'.  As previously discussed, this study was authroized year ago, but never funded.  If this is ever funded, it would be a CORPS led comprehensive flooding study from Columbus to the Plattesmouth.  The total study is $3m with half the costs federally funded.

Rationale: 

The Hazard Mitigation Plan is 82% completed while the drought plan is at 50% completion. JEO has scheduled a meeting for April 17th at 9 am with Emergency Managers to discuss missing worksheets and FEMA delays. Public Review of the Hazard Mitigation Plan is slated for May.

All community meetings for the drought mitigation plan have taken place except for Yutan. JEO plans to have a draft of the drought plan to the LPNNRD on May 16th.

An invoice and progress report is attached.

Rationale:  Attached is a request for 2025 membership dues of $350 to the Nebraska Loess Hills Resource Conservation & Development Council.  Also attached is their 2024 annual report.

Rationale:  We recieved two applications for NeBSP contracts that have been pre-approved by NE Dept Ag;

Rodney Julesen	23.2	451	$5,220.00
Todd Maurer	12.8	25009	$3,200.00