Return to Board Meeting Updates
| Nemaha NRD March
2008 Board Meeting Report Tecumseh – Action was taken at the Nemaha Natural Resources District board of directors meeting Thursday, March 13, to extend the current closure to the issuance of permits for high capacity wells throughout the District. A public hearing will be required prior to finalizing the extension, which is recommended to change from May 15, 2008, to October 15, 2008. Reasons for the extension largely hinge on timelines required for completing the District’s Groundwater Management Plan. The extra five months will allow staff to complete the plan updates and additional aquifer pump tests while meeting the statutory milestones. On April 10 the hearing will start at 6:00 p.m. at the NRD office followed by the regular board of directors meeting at 8:00 p.m., when action will be considered to adopt the extension. Should the board approve the extension, the District will continue to entertain applications for variances to allow issuance of permits for affected wells that include those exceeding 50 gallons per minute. Bids were approved for four projects in the Muddy Creek Watershed and one small dams program structure. B.A.B., Inc., from Adams submitted the successful low bids for all five projects, which include three small, grade stabilization dams and two road weir structures in Johnson and Nemaha Counties. Dana Divine, Project Coordinator for the Eastern Nebraska Water Resources Assessment Project, of which the Nemaha NRD is a cooperating partner, was present to provide an update on the first year’s activities. She provided details on one of three studies, which is in the Firth area, that provides more detailed, three-dimensional data about the underlying aquifers in that area. These studies were started in 2006 and will continue over a three-year period. Four bids had been received for harvesting hay at Iron Horse Trail Lake near DuBois. The high bid of $600 submitted by Ed Findlay was accepted for the approximately 26 acres of brome and mixed native grass hay at this public recreation area near DuBois. The board’s Water Resources Committee reviewed a request from Delwin Antholz to construct a well northwest of Cook for irrigation. Because of the proximity to the wells for the City of Syracuse, Olsson Associates was asked to analyze the impact on those wells with the results sent to Syracuse. With no opposition from the City and at the recommendation of the Water Resources Committee, the board approved Antholz’s variance request. At the recommendation of the Programs and Projects Committee, the board voted to approve the request from Keith Bohling for cost-share assistance to repair a storage diversion originally constructed in 2005 with NRD cost-share funds. After heavy spring rains last year, the structure failed and requires more capacity through the pipe. This structure is within the Muddy Creek Watershed. Cost-share assistance approved is limited to 50 percent not to exceed $5,000. The board’s Executive Committee reviewed proposals from three firms to provide appraisals of property associated with the Duck and Buck Creek Watershed projects near Peru. A panel of NRD directors along with the Manager interviewed the firms and recommended proceeding with negotiating a contract with Johnson Appraisal from Lincoln; the board subsequently approved this action. Also regarding the Duck and Buck Creek projects, the board approved the signing of a Project Agreement with the Natural Resources Conservation Service for construction of these dams. Federal funding was recently approved for the projects. Several bids were reviewed by the Executive Committee for replacement of the District’s 2000 Ford Explorer. The bid submitted by Field Ford, Tecumseh, for a 2008 Ford Taurus X was approved at a cost of $19,325 with trade-in of the Explorer. The next regular meeting of the Nemaha Natural Resources District board of directors will be Thursday, April 10, 2008, at 8:00 p.m. at the NRD headquarters, 62161 Highway 136, Tecumseh, with committees meeting prior to the full board meeting. Agenda item requests must be submitted at least 24 hours prior to the meeting. In addition a public hearing will begin at 6:00 p.m. that evening to receive testimony regarding the extension until October 15, 2008, of the closure to issuance of well permits. |