Return to Board Meeting Updates
| Nemaha NRD December
2008 Board Meeting Report Tecumseh – After a brief delay, the Nemaha Natural Resources District board of directors adopted revisions to its groundwater rules and regulations, setting an effective date of February 1, 2009. In addition to approving the rules, the board also voted to lift the temporary stay on the drilling of new wells, also with an effective date of February 1. Finally, applicants who had already received NRD approval for permits to drill wells but had not yet completed construction of the wells can now proceed as the board exempted all previously permit holders from the temporary stay. The board’s actions were required to meet state mandates for updating the District’s groundwater management plan. Generally the revisions address quantity issues, which were not specifically included in the original plan. A copy of the revised rules is available at the Nemaha NRD office and will be posted on the District’s website, www.nemahanrd.org. Representatives for The Flatwater Group, engineers hired by the District, were at the meeting to present their proposed plans for the renovation of Iron Horse Trail Lake. The $3.1 million dollar project would include sediment removal and sediment control measures, shoreline stabilization, and fisheries improvements. Funding for the majority of the project would come from the Nebraska Game & Parks Commission and Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality, leaving the NRD with an estimated price tag of about $105,000. Board action to decide whether to proceed with the plan is expected at next month’s meeting. If approved, work could begin as early as next spring, which would include removing most of the game fish and beginning drawdown of the lake level. Current plans would keep the park open as much as possible during the estimated 12-month project. At the recommendation of the board’s Operations & Education Committee, a revised Urban Special Project Program policy was adopted. The changes to the existing program centered around setting more specific ranking categories for applications. Initial pre-applications for FY09 funding are due to the NRD by February 1, 2009, and only government entities such as cities, counties, and school districts are eligible applicants. Five directors were recognized through the presentation of service awards at this their last board meeting. Roland Meyer, Palmyra, and David Hunzeker, Humboldt, each served four years on the board; Chuck Starr, Bennet, and Steve Sherrow, Nebraska City, had been members since 2000. Jeff Crunk, Nebraska City, was recognized for his tenure on the board from 1997-2008. The next meeting of the Nemaha Natural Resources District board of directors will be held Thursday, January 8, 2009, beginning at 7:00 p.m. at the NRD headquarters in Tecumseh. Committees will meet prior to the meeting. |