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Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources District Board votes to continue airborne surveys of our groundwater

Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources District Board votes to continue airborne surveys of our groundwater

02/23/2018

NORFOLK – Learning more about our groundwater and the aquifer formations across the district is one of the major projects on deck for the Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources District (LENRD) this year.

 

At their February board meeting, the board voted to approve the agreement with Aqua Geo Frameworks, not to exceed $220,000 to complete additional Airborne Electromagnetic (AEM) surveys, in conjunction with the 2018 Eastern Nebraska Water Resources Assessment (ENWRA) AEM flights that are already scheduled with 6 other NRDs.

 

LENRD Assistant General Manager, Brian Bruckner, said, “We received funding from the Nebraska Water Sustainability Fund to complete the ENWRA project.  By continuing these flights within our district, we’ll be able to fill in some of the missing areas where we need more data.  This project will be a great asset and the information will be used in managing this precious resource in the future.”

 

The AEM survey is a very rapid and efficient way of remotely sensing geology across an entire site without engaging in extensive drilling.  To obtain the information, a geophysical device (typically hoop-shaped) containing sensors is suspended beneath a helicopter.

 

A report was given to the board by Dave Rus, Hydrologist with the USGS Nebraska Water Science Center, on the toxic algae blooms that occur seasonally at the Willow Creek State Recreation Area, near Pierce.  The study of the area is complete and they are working on the final report.

 

In other business, an inter-local agreement was signed with the City of Randolph for the Flood Risk Management Study for the Middle Logan Creek.  The study will propose channel improvements for their flood control plan.

 

A public hearing was also held at the February board meeting to certify irrigated acres.  Landowners within the LENRD boundaries, have been working with the district to get their irrigated acres certified over the past several years.  There are only about 50 tracts of land left to certify at the next hearing.

 

The next LENRD board meeting will be Thursday, March 22nd at 7:30 p.m. in the Lifelong Learning Center on the campus of Northeast Community College in Norfolk.

 

The LENRD serves all or parts of 15-counties in northeast Nebraska.  Visit the LENRD website to sign up for emails from the district.  Like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter.  Protecting Lives, Protecting Property, Protecting the Future - www.lenrd.org

 

Julie M. Wragge

Information & Education Specialist

Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources District

P.O. Box 1204

Norfolk, NE  68702-1204

Office - 402-371-7313

Fax -    402-371-0653

Cell -    402-640-5063