April 14, 2025 at 6:00 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:  Thad Kuntz from Longitude 103 will update the Board on costs associated with moving our data and annual fees to maintain the database.

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

Rationale:  The 2025 NARD Basin Tour will highlight several projects in the Niobrara Basin on Monday, June 9 and Tuesday, June 10th. Registration deadline is May 9th.  See attachment for details. 

Rationale:  Directors Sabatka and McKnight along with Gottschalk and Chapman attended the NARD Washington DC annual meeitng and can give a brief update.

Rationale:  Attached find the following Director Absence Reqeusts:

Johnson, D. - January - Hip Surgery
Johnson, D. - February - P.T. for Hip
Yosten - February - Hauling Contract Corn to ADM
Bailey - February - Flu Bug - Ill
Saalfeld - February - Surgery/Colonoscopy

Rationale:  Thad Kuntz from Longtitude 103 will be giving an update to the Board on the cost associated with moving our database due to Phoenix Webgroup going out of business. 

Rationale:  The monthly construction meeting was held March 26th. Currently working on Drywall, painting, siding, exterior paving. Upcoming work will include Restroom tile, Masonry, Mechanical-Electrical-Plumbing finishes, final grading and Metal Storage Building which was delivered and will take around two weeks to erect. 

Discussion is currently underway with firms to supply internet service to our new office location and staff will be purchasing and installing the flag pole after new building is complete.  Flag lighting is included with our current construction contract.

Attached find pay application number 12 - $627,812.11

Rationale:  Nebraska Realty has set May 9, 2025 - 11:00 a.m. as the auction date for the office. They will be holding two open houses prior to the auction which are scheduled for April 27, 2025 and May 4, 2025 from 1:00 pm  - 3:00 pm. Online bidding opens Friday, May 2, 2025 at 11:00 a.m. and closes Friday, May 9, 2025 at the completion of the auction.   

Rationale:  Our current agreement with HBE360 will be expiring June 30, 2025 

Rationale:  Attached find a draft policy on how texting and emailing will be conducted within the LPNNRD departments. Communication via texting will primarily be utilized by our Water Department.

Rationale:  Staff is currently interviewing for the Operation and Maintenance Technician Position.  A moton will be needed at Board Meeting to ratify the hire.

Board Motion - To ratify the hiring of Sean O'Brien to fill the vacant Opeartion and Maintenace Technician position. 

Rationale:  Discussion is requested on how we plan to move forward with our open NRCS Office Assistant position.

Rationale:  Attached find the February Draft Financial Statement. Grant will be available at 11:30 to give his update. 

Rationale:  Attached find Gottschalk's time and expense sheets. 

Rationale:  We don't have unfinished business to address.

Rationale:  Nothing to report.

Rationale:  The O & M crew assisted in a prescribed burn on 170 acres of the Wanahoo property. Cut and cleared trees below the Cottonwood 7-A dam. We started moving materials from the grounds on our current property to our Wanahoo shed. Prepared a site for our new fuel barrel working through the State Fire Marshal. Regular maintenance on equipment and vehicles. Cleaned up blizzard/wind damaged trees at Czechland Lake.

Rationale:  A reimbursement request for $265,082.99 was submitted to NRCS on 2/20/2025 and funds were received from NRCS 3/26/2025. An extension request is being sent to NRCS to extend the expiration date from 5/31/2025 to 12/31/2025.
The 90% report should be in review by the NRCS.

Rationale:  We will pay M.E. Collins $131,927.60 for the de-watering of the Wanahoo basin. $2,400.00 was deducted from the contract for materials not used.

Mike Sotak and Ethan Miller of Houston Engineering presented on their  inspection of the basin during the de-watering. Slides were shown from the CFD Modeling they are using. The model shows velocities of the water in different colors coming from the spillway. Understanding these velosities in different areas should help figure out mitigation ideas to make the area more robust. In the basin itself, we may have gained 2' of depth but the rip-rap is in place. The gravel materials used as filters was displaced. Ethan provided the findings in the tunnels where the joints are being exposed. They will have recommendations for sealing the joints.
A report will be written and presented in the near future. It is hoped that a project could be started by this Fall.

Rationale:  We sold our 2008 No-Till grass drill for $15,500. It was surplus equipment/property.
Our triple axle dump trailer sold at auction, on-line for $7,925. We purchase it in 2017 for $8,740.

Rationale:  Heimann is developing maps for this year's haying season. We will ask for bids and approve them in May.

Rationale:  On the afternoon of Thursday, March 27th an acreage owner/neighbor on the Wanahoo property may have been burning. The fire spread away from his residence to the North/NW and burned approximately 50 acres of the Wanahoo grassland, and it also jumped Co. Rd O. In the process, the neighbor was injured and taken to the hospital.
A Press Release was sent out by the District explaining that it was not related to the prescribed burn conducted by Pheasants Forever, NE Game & Parks, and LPN the previous day.

Rationale:  We received a request for payment from Timberwood Homeowners Association. Their invoices add up to $20,520 for broken concrete and placing it on the Platte River bank. 

We assisted them in 2023 with their invoice of $19,590 with a cost-share payment of $4,000.

After the 2019 flood, we changed our cost-share rates. For individuals it's 50% upto $4,000 and Drainage Districts 50% upto $6,000. A motion was made to cost-share based on the higher tax valuation provided by the Timberwood development.

After the committee, the Platte Valley Drainage District submitted invoices adding up to $16,298.75 for work accomplished on the levee in Saunders County. This request was added to the motion by cost-sharing with Platte Valley for $6,000.

Rationale:  For the month of February, the District received $2,898.50 in annual park permit revenue.

Rationale:  For the month of February, the District received $2,661.62 in camping revenue.

Rationale:  The Clint Johannes Education Building at Lake Wanahoo was rented 9 times in March, with 1 NRD rental. Revenue for the month was $975.
 

Rationale:  The KTIC radio ads for March featured tree sales. The monthly ad for April will feature LPNNRD recreation areas.

The Wahoo newspaper e-ad for March also featured tree sales. This will be updated to environmental education opportunities for April.

The ads are attached.

Rationale:  The LPNNRD Facebook and X pages, along with the website are some of the fastest ways to get information out to the public. Facebook and X posts range from 15-25 posts per month. If you are on Facebook or X, please like, follow, share, or retweet the Lower Platte North NRD posts!

If you ever notice on issues on the LPNNRD please let us know so we can get it corrected.

During March, there were a few collaboration posts that boosted our engagement on Facebook with Set Your Sites for Lake Wanahoo’s new reservation site. There was also a press release that received almost 4500 views on Facebook.

Top Posts for Facebook and X included:
• Press release about fire on East side of Lake Wanahoo (attached)
• LPNNRD Natural Resources Grant availability
• Set Your Sites information
• Job opportunity for O&M technician
• Abandoned well cost-share availability

On the LPNNRD website, we received traffic from NARD (108), Facebook (42), Nebraska Game and Parks (25), Nebraska tourism (16), X (4), Wahoo newspaper e-ad (1).

The reports are attached. There was an issue with the engagement change but it is updated now.

Rationale:  Dodge County Agricultural Society is looking for sponsorships for the 2025 fair July 29 - August 3. Last year we donated $500. This included announcer recognition at events, recognition on donation boards at the fairgrounds and on the fair website, plus a banner with our logo that was displayed during the fair. This year, the same recognition would be available at the $500 level. Attached is the list of sponsorship levels.

Rationale:  Two of the three teachers said there were a few students interested in this, but we did not receive any Shell Creek scholarship applications last month. The deadline was March 15th. 

Since Committee Meeting we have received two Scholarship Applications.
Aleeya Morris from Newman Grove, she will be studying Elementary Education at Wayne State College. She has participated in the Shell Creek watershed monitoring program for five years.

Brooke Forre from Newman Grove, she will be studying Pre-Professional Physical Therapy at Chadron State College. She has participated in the Shell Creek watershed monitoring program for six years. 

Scholarship recipients will receive ½ of the scholarship upon recipient selection, with the remainder being issued upon proof of successful completion of the first term with a GPA of B/3.0 or above. If a scholarship recipient fails to attend an accredited two-year or four-year college or university or does not complete their first term with a GPA of at least B/3.0, scholarship funds may be directed to an alternate.
A motion will be needed at Board Meeting 
To approve Aleeya Morris and Brooke Forre each for a $1,000 Shell Creek Watershed Scholarship. Half of the scholarship will be paid after board approval, with the remaining amount paid after successful completion of the first term.

 

Rationale: 

• March 3rd: Survival club (rescheduled from February).
• March 4th: Fremont H.S. - Water Quality (56).
• March 6th: Coffee Lakeside - Butterflies of NE (8)
• March 11th: Lions Club Presentation (15)
• March 24th: Scouts p.m. - Lake Wanahoo, what is conservation? (9)
• March 25th: St. Wenceslaus Pre-K Moths and Butterflies (28).

Rationale: 

• April 2nd: Bishop Neuman M.S. survival skills
• April 3rd: Bishop Neuman M.S. Survival skills
• April 4th: Wahoo 2nd grade - Pollination
• April 8th: Wahoo 1st grade - feathers
• April 10th: Coffee Lakeside - Earth and Arbor Day
• April 11th: Platte Center Elementary K-6th Earth and Arbor Day
• April 14th: Fremont 4th grade AM Earth Day / East Butler 7th grade Arbor Day
• April 15th: Cedar Bluffs 3rd Grade - Earth Day
• April 16th: Newman Grove Elementary Earth and Arbor Day
• April 22nd: St. Wenceslaus Pre-K AM / North Bend 5th Grade Earth Day / Earth Day Event @ Lake Wanahoo
• April 23rd: Wahoo Kindergarten Earth Day 
• April 24th: Fremont Ecofair
• April 28th: Re-schedule North Bend and Wahoo Kindergarten
• April 30th: Fremont H.S. Water quality / Presentation pm @ Let's play yoga studio Wahoo

TBD: Survival Club
Spring Conservation Sensation coming up May 7th

Rationale:  Nebraska Arboretum has Bloom Boxes, filled with 24 native perennial palnts, available for purchase. Boxes are $125 and are for full sun or partial sun sites; they come with information on each plant and signage. We reached out to 6 schools in our district to see if they were interested in adding a Bloom Box to their outdoor classroom/learning areas.The 6 schools we chose already have outdoor spaces they use or have a strong FFA / relationship with our NRD. Because of a short deadline to order the boxes, we limited it to those 6 schools, but plan to open it up to every school in our district next year. I've attached the write up and the form that is needed. Wahoo elementary is the only school that will be participating this year. 

Rationale:  No students have turned in the grant application yet. East Butler has been in contact asking questions. Application deadline is May 1st. Form is attached, please share!

Rationale:  The impacts from the blizzard on 3/19 for both RWD:

• Bruno RWD is served by David City water; there was a prolonged power outage throughout Butler Public Power's district.  Getting David City power back online took longer than expected and DC utilities requested conservative use of water.  There were no reports of pressure loss.
• Colon RWD is served by Wahoo and experienced no interruptions in service. 

Over the next month we will plan on flushing hydrants and address other routine maintenance activites; meter inspections, backflow preventers, etc. 

Rationale:  The Colon RWD had its biannual sanitary survey completed with NDEE on 3/26.  The survey highlighted that the Colon RWD is due for a cross-connection survey for customers which will be done this spring.
Routine monthly sampling completed, bills mailed 3/31.

Rationale:  Staff was contacted by a customer on the Bruno RWD with concerns about high pressure within their residence.  The Bruno system runs high pressure (~105psi) to allow for filling the Bruno water tower.  All of the residential customers have pressure reducing valves in the pit, set to 50psi,  to protect residential plumbing from suurge/hammer.  Elliott contacted David City water about changes to system and the explanation was due to multiple repairs, system shut downs/start ups, has caused surges in the system.  When the concerned residence was checked the pressures were normal at 50psi.
Routine monthly sampling completed and bills mailed 3/31.

Rationale:  Kolb Farms Inc is wanting to transfer 30 irrigated acres from Part of the SE1/4 NW1/4 & Part of the NW1/4 SW1/4 S35-14-9E to S1/2 NE1/4 S13-14-9E, Saunders County.  He is requesting the need for additional irrigated acres due mainly to MUD lowering the water table. (NRD water level graph is attached) 
Part of the land is owned by GJC which has agreed to release 30 acres from Section 35 to Kolb Farms in Section 13.  
Attached are maps showing the acres being transfered.  

Rationale:  Well Permit discussion on a duck pond, which was carried over from March Water Committee Meeting.
Ryan Glow attended the Water Committee Meeting to assist in answering questions.  This is currently cropland and planning on covering 10 acres with water in the fall.  This could be a water quality issue from leaching with a high water table in this area. The height ot the dike could be a concern during flooding which might affect other homeowners in the area.  The Committee requested a more detailed design of the dike and having the landowner look into conservation practices. 
Attached is information from Ryan Glow on the plans for the duck pond.

Rationale:  Wode farms received a variance in 2023 for expansion of acres in the NW1/4 S14-14-8E, Saunders County.  They used an existing well during last year crop year and kept losing flow during the season.  They would like to drill a supplemental well in the NW SW S14-14N-8E.  They know they can enough water going deeper but sodium could become an issue.  
Attachments.

Rationale:  Beller Feedlot has applied for a new livetock well permit in NW SW S13-20-4W, Platte County (2 miles west of Lindsay).  The well will be pumping 150 GPM and connected to the other 3 existing wells.  He will be abandoning 1 of the older unregistered wells after the new well is drilled.  This well will be classified as a new well as the other 2 wells are not registered because they were drilled prior to 1993. 

Rationale:  Our Nitrogen Reduction Incentive Act Program contract has been updated by DNR to a total of $66,982.92. This updated amount will allow us to approve Prioirty A, B, and C producers. 

Rationale:  The Coalition Board meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 16 at 10:30 am at Clint Johannes Educational Building.  This Board will review the V-IMP reports from each district and contracts from firms for the next 5 year depletion analysis. The Board will approve the budget for the upcoming year which will include an annual payment from each District and NeDNR of $10,000. Bob Hilger and Dave Saalfeld are the LPN representatives.  

Rationale:  Staff has finished spring water level measurements with a report at next water committee meeting.  

Rationale: 

No new wells has been reviewed and approved for decommissioning since the last Committee meeting.

 

Rationale: 

No wells have been plugged, reviewed, and ready for cost share payment approval this month.

Well Owner	Type of Well	Cost Share Estimate	County

 

Rationale:  Staff has been meeting with Phase Four producers to discuss Nitrogen Recommendations. 

Tim Rickert sent in cost share information for one flow meter. This is for his 19 acre field that was discussed at the March meeting. 

We have one flow meter cost share invoice for two meters from Richard Shonka for a total of $2,000.

Rationale:  Attached is the annual dues for $30,000 per contract agreement.  

Rationale:  We have applied for the Water Sustainability Fund for the Source Water Monitoring Project. This project looks to construct dedicated monitoring wells with transducers installed with telemetry upgradient of municipal wells in Wellhead Protection Areas. The total cost of the project is estimated at $414,678. The WSF will fund 60% or $248,807 of the project and the LPNNRD will fund the remaining 40% or $165,871. They begin reviewing applications in the second quarter and make final determinations in the 3rd quarter. Attached is the WSF Application.

Rationale:  The Village of Abie is repairing one of their municipal wells. We would like to take the oppurtunity to install one of the transducers from the transducer agreement (State of Nebraska American Rescue Plan Act of 2021). We have been quoted $3,636.22 from InSitu for the transducer, cable, and VuLink connection. Dan Freese from Downey has quoted us $1,055.00 for the PVC pipe to suspend the transducer in the well. Quotes are attached.

Rationale: 

The contaminant inventory survey in Newman Grove led to the discovery of abandoned wells to potentially be decommissioned. We currently have signatures for 2 wells and 1 cistern. The district is not paying for the decommissioning of the cisterns, that cost will come out of the grant. We are in talks and following up with 3 other landowners for signatures. Estimates to come at a later date. There is an open house for the Wellhead Protection Area project in Newman Grove at the Community Center on April 8th at 7:00 PM.

Rationale:  The Phoenix Webgroup database has closed its doors and are no longer in business.  The database is currently working but could be a concern if the database starts developing programing errors without dependable support.  A majority of the NRDs in the past 2 year have went to a company called Longitude 103. (18 of 23)  Thad Kuntz from Longtitude 103 will being giving a presentation at the upcoming Board meeting.  The cost for Longitude 103 is $16,000 annually and the cost of data migration will be $17,500.  Once the data migration is completed, $10,000 will be invoiced directly to NeDNR and the remaining $7,500 will be invoiced to the District.  So the total first year costs will be $23,500 with annual fees each year after.      
This cost includes an optional Dam feature service which allows staff to house inpections and utlize a dam inspection data collection feature.  

Rationale:  A policy is attached for information on how texting and emailing will be conducted within the LPN departments.    

Rationale:  At the last Board meeting it was approved to allow Bob Hilger to research this topic further.  Bob would like further discussion from the Committee.  
The Committee discussed how the permit would be approved with more discussion at futrue meetings.  

Rationale:  The plan is to hold the GMDA Summer Conference in Idaho Falls, Idaho on July 21 - 23.  

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:  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

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: 

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