The Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources District (LENRD) Board of Directors met on Tuesday, November 25th for their monthly Board Meeting.
LENRD Water Resources Staff provided a summary of variance applications received during the sign-up period for new irrigated acres in the District. 169 applications were received from October 15 – November 17th. Up to 400 acre-feet of new depletions in the Hydrologically Connected Area (areas in close proximity to surface water) and up to 3,750 new irrigated acres in the Non-hydrologically Connected Area will be added in the District once the applications are finalized. Up to 350 new irrigated acres may also be added in the Quantity Management Subareas.
Doug Hallum, Water Resources Manager, provided an update on ongoing water quality sampling programs in the District. The LENRD has partnered with Dr. Martha Rhoades and Dr. Troy Gilmore at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to expand the LENRD’s groundwater monitoring program through a project called Groundwater Monitoring for Public Health. The goal is for the LENRD to sample 561 wells across the District. Water samples from at least 5% of groundwater wells will be analyzed for nitrate/nitrite and over 30 other agrichemical chemical compounds such as atrazine, glyphosate, and their transformation products.
The wells are selected at random, and surveys have been sent for voluntary participation. So far, 216 well locations have been sampled including: 136 domestic, 74 municipal, 3 LENRD monitoring, and 3 livestock. Eighty-seven sites are on the docket to be sampled in the near future. The goal is to have all 561 wells sampled by November 2026.
The Board approved a request for the purchase of a new pick up for the Water Resources Department. A request for bids was sent to four vehicle dealers, three in Norfolk and one in Columbus, for the new vehicle. Bids were received for four different makes – Toyota, Chevrolet, Dodge, and Ford. Administrative staff recommended the 2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 at the price of $42,845.00, which was provided by Norfolk Motor Co. in Norfolk, NE. The vehicle is a standard ½ ton work pick up equipped with four-wheel drive that will be used primarily by Water Resources field staff. It has been customary for the LENRD to purchase a new vehicle with the intention of having it in the fleet long-term until a replacement becomes necessary. The Board also approved the purchase of a 2026 Chevy Silverado 1500 from Sid Dillon of Wahoo for the Logan East Rural Water District. The cost of the vehicle is $48,633 plus tax, including trade-in value.
Other administrative items on the agenda included approving the meeting schedule for 2026 and the inclusion of a Roth retirement option in the LENRD employee compensation plan. The inclusion of this option will allow any NRD employee to divert some of their compensation, after taxes, into their 457-retirement account. They can then withdraw the funds at retirement, without any tax liability.
Though there was some conversation about moving the day of the meetings to Wednesday, Directors ultimately decided to stay with the original schedule of the 2nd and 4th Thursday. The 2026 meeting dates are as follows: January 8, 22; February 12, 26; March 12, 26; April 9, 23; May 14, 28; June 11, 25; July 9, 23; August 13, 27; September 10, 24; October 8, 22; November 12, 24 (Tuesday); December 10, 22.