The Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources District (LENRD) Board of Directors met on Thursday, May 22, at the LENRD office for their monthly Board Meeting. The agenda included topics ranging from monthly reports, Committee recommendations for the Logan East Rural Water System & Wau-Col Regional Water System, and action on items discussed at the Committee of the Whole meeting.
West Point Levee Interlocal Agreement Renewal
Directors voted to approve a three-year extension for the West Point Levee Interlocal Agreement. The City of West Point is working to re-certify the levee to meet Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) standards. The content of the agreement will remain the same, but the expiration date of the agreement will change from June 30, 2025, to June 30, 2028.
Construction on the required modifications began this spring and are planned to be completed prior to the end of the updated agreement.
Maple Creek WFPO Plan – Design Phase
The Watershed and Flood Prevention Operations (WFPO) Plan for Maple Creek has been approved by the Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS) National Headquarters. The Maple Creek WFPO plan was created to help the communities of Clarkson and Nickerson with flood reduction. If the communities choose to proceed with the Design Phase of the plan for their communities, they will be able to split the local costs of the project with the LENRD. Before proceeding onto the Design Phase of the project, the LENRD will wait to receive an official request from the town board of each community. No action was taken on the item.
Groundwater for Public Health Project Update
Doug Hallum, Water Resources Manager, gave an update to Directors on the Groundwater for Public Health Project through the Nebraska Environmental Trust. Citizens and landowners in the District were selected at random to complete a survey regarding groundwater monitoring for public health and could choose if they wanted to participate in the study.
The purpose of the study is to better establish the magnitude of agrichemical contamination in Nebraska water supplies. The LENRD is partnering with Dr. Martha Rhoades and Dr. Troy Gilmore at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln to expand the LENRD’s groundwater monitoring program. The LENRD will analyze water samples from 561 groundwater wells for nitrate, nitrite and over 30 other agrichemical compounds such as atrazine, glyphosate, and their transformation products. Results will be shared with the well owner, LENRD Board of Directors, and the public to guide future management decisions and protect public health. No personal or identifying information will be released to the public. All sampling and analysis will be free for the participants.
If you received a survey in the mail, please answer the questions in the enclosed survey and return it the LENRD using the postage-paid envelope provided.
Logan East Rural Water System Possible System Expansion
The Logan East Rural Water System has been exploring options for additional water capacity to satisfy requests for new service connections. The City of Oakland and the Logan East RWS entered into a Memorandum of Understanding earlier this year which committed the two entities to a discussion on an agreement that outlines the terms and conditions of a potential partnership. The City of Oakland is currently constructing new drinking water infrastructure which is designed to generate a capacity of 600,000 gallons per day, and of this amount, 200,000 gallons per day is deemed excess capacity which would be allocated to Logan East RWS.
Logan East RWS would be guaranteed the right to use up to 200,000 gallons of treated water in any given day. Preliminary discussions about the capacity charge between the City of Oakland and the Logan East RWS center around an amount of $3,420,000 to the City of Oakland for a one-time capacity charge and connection fee. The proposed base rate per month would be $500 with a use rate ($/1,000 gallon) of $3.
A special meeting to discuss the opportunity will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 29th, at the Logan East Rural Water System office in Oakland (206 N. Oakland Ave., Oakland, NE).
To learn more about the 12 responsibilities of Nebraska’s NRDs and how your local district can work with you and your community to protect your natural resources, visit www.lenrd.org and sign up for our bi-monthly emails. The next board of directors meeting will be Tuesday, June 26, 2025, at the LENRD office in Norfolk at 7:30 p.m. and on Facebook Live.