At their August 28, 2025, Board Meeting, Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources District (LENRD) Directors accepted the Scope of Work and Flow Meter Maintenance Agreement from Derek and Austin Becker. This agreement outlines the requirements for the completion of flow meter preventative maintenance services within the District.
The LENRD established a program to assist flow meter owners with maintenance of their flow meters after flow meters became a requirement for all irrigation wells as of January 1, 2018. The Beckers rotate through different counties within the District, with each area receiving maintenance services once every five years. The five-year rotation began in the fall of 2018.
The inspection and preventative maintenance services include a physical examination and evaluation of proper flow meter installation and operation; removal of the flow meter to evaluate the condition of the propeller and bearings; reinstallation of the meter after greasing its bearings and replacing the saddle gasket; as well as the documentation of all inspection and maintenance findings.
On average, about 778 meters are inspected each year. In this newest agreement, maintenance will be conducted in Cedar, Dixon, Knox, Wayne and Thurston counties on approximately 752 meters by April 15, 2026. The contracted amount is $59 per meter.
Directors also discussed the 2025 standard variance application process for new groundwater irrigated acres in the District. An Ad-Hoc Variance Committee has been meeting twice a month since April to evaluate and strategize the Standard Variance process in the District.
Water Resources Manager, Doug Hallum, explained the process and information used by the Ad-Hoc Variance Committee to make sound decisions on new irrigated acres in the District. The Committee has been evaluating and analyzing data collected from spring water level trends at the 240 locations through the District including Quantity Management Subareas. Committee members have evaluated the trends over the past year, five years, and ten years to help better understand our groundwater. The Committee is still discussing how many acres to approve and plans for the Quantity Management Subareas.
Also at the meeting, Directors authorized an additional 1% increase in restricted funds authority for Fiscal Year 2026 and set the public hearing date to vote on the Fiscal Year 2026 Budget and Long Range Plan. The public hearing has been set for Thursday, September 11, 2025, prior to the Committee meeting.