NORFOLK, Nebraska -- At the monthly Board Meeting held July 23, 2026, the Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources District (LENRD) Board of Directors heard monthly reports and voted on numerous water-resources and project related items.

Directors approved updates to the Average Cost Dockets for the Agroforestry, Cover Crop, and Conservation Cost Share programs. Except for tree planting and cover crops, all practices will increase 5% across the board. Costs for tree planting in Fiscal Year ’27 will be based off the actual expenses in FY ‘26. Directors were presented with two options for the cover crop program: Option 1 – an increase of 5%, but rounded to the nearest whole dollar; or Option 2 – an increase of 5%, which is in line with the other practices. Directors ultimately agreed with the staff recommendation of Option 1 where costs would be rounded to the nearest whole dollar.

Derek and Austin Becker will once again be tasked with Flow Meter preventative maintenance services in the District. The scope of work for the upcoming year includes 561 meters in Colfax, Platte & Stanton Counties at a cost of $61.00 per irrigation well flow meter for inspection. The Beckers have been conducting flow meter preventative maintenance for the district since 2018.

Four contracts for the NET Vadose Zone Monitoring Project were also accepted by Directors at the meeting. The “Observing Water and Nutrient Mobility in the Vadose Zone” study will work closely with producers to help LENRD staff evaluate nutrient and water movement underground and under various farming practices while accounting for weather, soil, and geology. This information will help staff evaluate which best management practices are better with which soil types to protect water quality and maintain or enhance recharge to our aquifers. The contracts approved for the General Manager’s signature include: Study Tasks 2 and 5: University of Nebraska Lincoln, not to exceed $191,423.00; Study Task 3: Vista Clara, LLC, Not to exceed $157,000.00; and Study Task 6: Downey Drilling, $72,590.00. Study Task 1 is contingent on contract negotiations with Surveying and Mapping, LLC.

A public hearing for the Certification of Acres was also held at the meeting. Assistant Manager, Curt Becker, also provided updates on the Maple Creek and North Fork WFPO Projects. The design phase of the Maple Creek WFPO for Nickerson was approved by NRCS and Becker received approval from the Board to begin the tasks of engineering/construction as well as permit acquisition for the project. Becker also indicated that he had received a letter of commitment from the community of Osmond to continue to the design phase of the North Fork WFPO project. The community of Pierce is slated to discuss what their next steps will be at their August City Council Meeting.

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 Aug. 27, 2026, at the LENRD office in Norfolk at 7:30 p.m. and on Facebook Live.