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| Nemaha NRD November
2007 Board Meeting Report Tecumseh – Representatives from The Flatwater Group presented information Thursday, November 8, to the Nemaha Natural Resources District board of directors regarding the feasibility of developing a sediment control basin on the reservoir at Iron Horse Trail Lake. Hired by the District to investigate methods for controlling sediment as it arrives at the lake itself, this engineering firm outlined how and where such a basin could be incorporated at the public recreation lake near DuBois in Pawnee County. The study was initiated as part of the ongoing watershed management efforts to reduce sediment through installation of management practices such as tile terraces, grade and flood control structures, no-till practices, and cropland to grassland conversions. Construction of a sediment basin and other control measures at the lake would be the last component of the project that aims to improve water quality in the lake. At their next meeting the board will be asked to consider action on what, if any, of the control measures to incorporate into the project. Chuck Wingert and Charlie Pierce, NRD Water Department Staff, provided their annual update to the board on the water programs for the District. Generally they reported that water levels throughout the District were trending upward this year, likely due to the increased precipitation this year. The board voted Thursday night to submit a request to the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency for funds to assist with the development of a District-wide, all-hazard mitigation plan. After having met with several county and city officials within the District, it appears that one plan encompassing all the entities within the District will be more cost efficient than each entity preparing its own plan. Grant funds will provide 75 percent of the cost of the planning, which is estimated at about $180,000. The remaining 25 percent would have to be provided by the local entities. Development of such a plan will help with future funding assistance in the event of a disaster, such as the flooding that occurred in May. Approval was also granted for an interlocal agreement with Nemaha County for county road and bridge issues in conjunction with the Duck and Buck Creek Watershed Project. This project includes two flood control dams near Peru with one to include a public recreation component. Work components of the agreement include such items as raising a road, culvert installation, and rerouting a road. Costs for the road alterations that are not paid through grants or County funds would be provided by the NRD. Two requests for variances to allow for the drilling of irrigation wells were approved. Both located near Firth, one was for an irrigation well 1½ miles east and the other for an irrigation well 1½ miles southwest of town. A third request for an irrigation well west of Tecumseh was not acted upon yet in order to obtain additional information. The board’s Operations & Education Committee discussed the District’s obligations and agreements associated with the Steamboat Trace trail. Increasing costs for maintenance and repairs on the trail prompted the committee to direct staff to investigate other potential avenues for funding future maintenance. The Steamboat Trace trail covers about 21 miles between Nebraska City and Brownville; it was deeded to the NRD by the Rails to Trails Conservancy and developed with federal, state, and local funding along with volunteer contributions. An amendment to the interlocal agreement with five NRDs for the Eastern Nebraska Water Resources Assessment was reviewed by the Executive Committee. This project involves mapping geology in eastern Nebraska, and the amendment allows for hiring a project coordinator as well as setting the future funding for the project. The board approved the amendment. The next three regular meetings of the Nemaha Natural Resources District board of directors will begin one hour earlier at 7:00 p.m. following action by the board to change the meeting time. Committees will meet prior to the regular board meeting with specific schedules set each month. The December meeting of the Nemaha Natural Resources District board of directors will be on Thursday, December 13, 2007, beginning at 7:00 p.m. at the NRD headquarters, 62161 Highway 136, Tecumseh. |