MINUTES OF THE
NEBRASKA NATURAL
RESOURCES COMMISSION MEETING
JULY 21, 2004
UPPER BIG BLUE NRD OFFICE
YORK, NE
Those
in attendance were:
Beverly
Donaldson, Chair Don
Roberts, Member
Vince
Kramper, Member Clinton
Johannes, Member
Richard
Jiskra, Member John Turnbull
Joseph
Hergott, Member Lyndon
Vogt
Dan
Watermeier, Member Roger
Patterson, Director
Garry
Anderson, Member Steve
Gaul, Staff
Jim
Van Marter, Member Rich
Kern, Staff
Wayne
Madsen, Member Tom
Pesek, Staff
LeRoy
Pieper, Member Gayle Starr Staff
Richard
Hadenfeldt, Member
Wayne
Davis, Member
The
meeting was called to order by Commission Chair, Beverly Donaldson, in the
meeting room of the Upper Big Blue NRD in York, Nebraska, at approximately 8:00
a.m.
Notice
of the meeting was placed in the LINCOLN JOURNAL STAR and the
YORK
NEWS-TIMES notifying the public of the meeting.
The
following items of informational material were distributed during the course of
the meeting and a copy of each is attached to the file copy of the minutes.
1.
Small
Watersheds Flood Control Fund – Inventory of Fee Title Lands.
2.
Small
Watersheds Flood Control Fund – Projected Funding Requests.
3.
Status
of Small Watersheds Flood Control Fund.
4.
Nebraska
Resources Development Fund Present Financial Status.
5.
Nebraska
Resources Development Fund Quarterly Report.
6.
Water
Well Decommissioning Fund Status Report.
7.
Natural
Resources Water Quality Fund.
8.
Soil
& Water Conservation Fund, Expenditures by Month 1996-2004.
9.
Soil
& Water Conservation Fund Report – Republican Basin Water Meter Program.
10. Expenditures for May & June 2004.
Motion
was made by Kramper and seconded by Watermeier to approve the minutes of the
May
20, 2004, Commission meeting as distributed.
Motion carried.
Aye: Hergott, Jiskra, Watermeier, Van Marter, Madsen, Kramper,
Pieper, Roberts, Davis, Johannes, Hadenfeldt, Anderson, Donaldson,
Nay: None
Not
Present: Korell, Rexroth, Garratt
It
was noted that the expenditure report for May and June, 2004, had been
distributed for Commission members.
LeRoy
Stokes, representing the Natural Resources Conservation Service, commented on
the Conservation Security Program and the NRCS efforts to assist with the water
supply situation in the Pumpkin Creek drainage area in the North Platte NRD.
Roger Patterson indicated that he and other staff members have been spending a considerable amount of time working with the NRDs and others in the Republican Basin to meet the terms of the settlement. He added that the staff is working with other state and federal agencies in developing a Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program application that would include the Republican and Platte River Basins. He noted that this program would provide payments to surface water or ground water irrigators to not irrigate under a 10 or 15 year contract. He noted that this program is administered by the Farm Services Agency of USDA and would require some non-federal matching funds from either the state or local governmental units.
Vince Kramper noted that the next meeting of the Environmental Trust Board is July 29 in Holdrege. He added that the Environmental Trust staff has moved into the
Ferguson mansion near the Capitol
building.
Roger Patterson noted that the staff is working on the necessary steps to implement the various provisions of LB 962. He added that a proposed budget for the use of the $2.5 million dollars
appropriated for this purpose is being developed and that the Executive Committee of the Water Policy Task Force would be meeting in the near future to review that budget. He also noted that Senator Schrock would like to have a meeting of the full Water Policy Task Force in the next few months.
Dan Watermeier called on Tom Pesek who reviewed the
Resources Development Fund status report and the Small Watersheds Flood Control
Fund status report. Pesek also
explained the process of establishing a Revolving Fund base for FY 2005 and
recommended the Commission establish that revolving fund base at one million
dollars. Motion was made by Jiskra
and seconded by Kramper to establish a
revolving fund base of one million dollars for the Small Watersheds Flood
Control Fund for FY 2005. Motion
carried.
Aye: Jiskra, Watermeier, Van Marter, Madsen, Kramper, Pieper,
Roberts, Davis, Johannes, Hadenfeldt,
Anderson, Hergott, Donaldson
Nay: None
Not Present: Korell,
Rexroth, Garratt
Pesek also noted that Commission members had been
provided a copy of a letter from the Director to the Lower Elkhorn NRD
containing questions concerning the Leigh Dam
project application/feasibility report, as well as letters from the
Department of Roads, Game & Parks Commission and Department of
Environmental Quality concerning issues that those agencies had raised
concerning that project.
Gayle Starr distributed the status reports
concerning the Soil & Water Conservation fund, Natural Resources Water
Quality Fund, and Water Well Decommissioning Fund and briefly reviewed
them. He also noted that the department
had received approval from the Bureau of Reclamation for a $100,000 federal
funds grant for cost-share on water meters in the South Platte NRD. He noted that the authority for cost-sharing
on meters was through the Soil & Water Conservation Fund and recommended
that the Commission approve this program with a 50 percent cost-share rate and
a cost-share limit of $800 per meter, including installation. Motion was made by Davis and seconded by
Kramper to approve the use of the Soil & Water Conservation Fund for a
water meter cost-share program in the South Platte NRD utilizing federal funds
from the Bureau of Reclamation with the cost-share rate being 50 percent with a
maximum cost-share amount of $800 per meter including installation. Motion carried.
Aye: Watermeier, Van Marter, Madsen, Kramper, Pieper, Roberts, Davis,
Johannes, Hadenfeldt, Anderson, Hergott, Jiskra, Donaldson
Nay: None
Not Present: Korell,
Rexroth, Garratt
COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING
COMMITTEE
Steve Gaul noted that Commission members had been
provided a copy of the Annual Report for the Planning and Review Process. He said that this was a draft copy and a
final copy needs to be
submitted by September 15, and noted that Commission
members could make comments on the report.
There were several questions and one suggestion to include a glossary of
the various acronyms included within the report.
Gaul then introduced Rich Kern who provided a
presentation on the Nebraska Rainfall Assessment and Information Network
program that has been recently initiated by NRDs in about two-thirds of the
state with the department maintaining the information on an internet site. Kern provided a demonstration of the
information available on the Internet site and responded to a number of
questions concerning the program.
The next meeting of the
Commission will be on September 28, 2004, at the Kearney Holiday Inn Hotel and
Convention Center in connection with the NARD annual conference.
The
meeting was adjourned at approximately 10:00 AM.
_______________________________________ _______________________________________
Chairman
Director of Natural Resources