NORFOLK, Nebraska -- On February 26, 2026, the Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources District (NRD) Board of Directors met for the monthly Board meeting. Numerous items were on the agenda, mainly regarding Water Resources, as well as monthly and Water System reports.

Directors voted to approve an amendment to the Interlocal Agreement with the Village of Pender. In 2019, Pender experienced two major floods in one calendar year. As a result, they approached the Lower Elkhorn NRD for financial assistance for flood mitigation measures, resulting in an Interlocal Agreement established in 2021. With this Agreement, the Lower Elkhorn NRD would pay for one-half the approved flood mitigation measures – new detention cells, culvert enlargement, and channel improvements – for a total of $527,671.88. The current Interlocal Agreement is set to expire later next month. Since the current agreement was established, costs have risen and the Village of Pender is needing more time to start on the project. The amended Interlocal Agreement will increase the Lower Elkhorn NRD contribution to $682,683.98 in funding, contingent on the Village of Pender receiving funding from FEMA, and a term extension of up to five years.

Next steps in the Battle Creek flood reduction discussion were also determined at the meeting. Directors gave Lower Elkhorn NRD staff direction to contact Greg Johnson with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to discuss flood mitigation options for the City of Battle Creek. Greg will be available to speak to Directors at a future Board Meeting about flood mitigation options the Corps works with.

Crop Damage Agreements for two properties near Willow Creek State Recreation Area were also approved. Directors also gave staff the approval to send cease and desist letters to producers who have not yet submitted flowmeter readings (due December 1st every year). Terms of the agreement for the Pierce County Pilot Project were terminated by directors since the producers are no longer using the special equipment from the project.

Directors heard about, and approved, the roll out of the Nitrogen Use Efficiency (NUE) guidelines. The Nebraska Corn Board has designated $1 Million for the first year of this pilot program, with NRDs rolling it out on behalf of the State and Corn Board. The NUE Program is similar to the Nitrogen Reduction Incentive Act which provides financial incentives to farmers who reduce nitrogen fertilizer use. The Lower Elkhorn NRD will be prioritizing NUE Program applications by date/time received by the District. Applications received at the same date/time will be prioritized by whether they are located within a Sourcewater Protection Area, a Phase 3 Area, or a Phase 2 Area. Soil samples will be required prior to submission of the application. Applications will be due by May 15, 2026.

Directors approved an amendment to the Jan. 22, 2026, motion on approval of the Non-Hydrologically (Non 10/50) Area Standard Variance Applications. Every applicant is permitted to submit additional information about their farm with their application. One applicant felt that their supplemental information should have helped their score and ultimately receive a variance. After conversations with the applicant, and a review of the files, staff ultimately agreed that 25 points should be added to his score based on the supplemental information. Approval of this variance added 135.44 acres to the 2025 approved variances but is still below the threshold for the year that was set by Directors.

A motion to authorize staff to purchase a pickup for Water Resources, which was previously approved in November 2025, was tabled to allow staff more time to request quotes from dealerships within the District.

The Personnel Hazardous Weather Policy was approved to be updated from the current policy which would have the Lower Elkhorn NRD Office, headquartered in Norfolk, close if Norfolk Public Schools closed. Closure due to hazardous weather will now be decided by Lower Elkhorn NRD management on a case-by-case basis.

To learn more about the 12 responsibilities of Nebraska’s NRDs and how your local District can work with you and your community to protect your natural resources, visit www.lenrd.org and sign up for our monthly emails. The next board of directors meeting will be March 26, 2026, at the Lower Elkhorn NRD office in Norfolk at 7:30 p.m. and on Facebook Live.

The Lower Elkhorn NRD serves all or part of 15-counties in northeast Nebraska. Visit the Lower Elkhorn NRD website to sign up for monthly emails from the district. Like and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.