LENRD board approves funding to repair Wakefield levee

The Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources District (LENRD) held their board meeting in the Niobrara Room at Wayne State College on Thursday, February 27th at 7:30 p.m.

The City of Wakefield requested financial assistance from the district to help fund the cost of repairs to their flood control levee which sustained significant damages during the March 2019 flood.

LENRD Projects Manager, Curt Becker, reported that the city’s request is 50% of the local costs to repair the levee.  He added, “Wakefield was not able to get fully funded for this project through the Corps of Engineers or through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, so they’re requesting our assistance on the local level.”

The City of Wakefield paid the Corps about $780,000 for its share of the cost of the repairs, which is approximately 20% of the total cost of the project.  The board voted to cost-share with Wakefield on the project for up to $390,000.

In other action, the board voted unanimously to approve the next phase of development for the district’s hydrogeologic groundwater model.  The LENRD was awarded a grant from the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources (NDNR) Water Sustainability Fund (WSF) to assist with 60% of the expenses associated with Phase 2B of development, which is a continuation of Phase 2A and is the final phase of the hydrogeologic groundwater model.

LENRD Assistant Manager, Brian Bruckner, said, “The purpose of the next phase is to create the graphic user interface that will allow us to calculate different scenarios and ultimately see and evaluate the impacts that new water uses have on existing water users.  The model will give us the science-based tools we need to understand the resource and make better management decisions for the future of our district.”

The board has accepted an agreement with JEO Consulting Group for Phase 2B of the Groundwater Model for a total not to exceed $336,000.

The LENRD board & staff meet each month to develop and implement management plans to protect our natural resources for the future.  The next LENRD board meeting will be Thursday, March 26th at 7:30 p.m. at the LENRD office at 1508 Square Turn Boulevard in Norfolk.  Stay connected with the LENRD by subscribing to their monthly emails.