LINCOLN, Nebraska – Stormwater improvement projects related to the Deadmans Run Flood Reduction Project, Salt Creek stream stability and Beal Slough are included in a stormwater management work plan approved May 20 by the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District (LPSNRD) Board of Directors.

The annual work plan is approved as part of an Interlocal Agreement between the City of Lincoln and LPSNRD and lists programs and projects on which the two will cooperate. Some of the projects are prioritized in master plans created for more than a dozen delineated watersheds in Lincoln. 

Many aspects of the Deadmans Run Flood Reduction Project are included in the work plan agreement, as the project moves closer to construction in an area from Cornhusker Highway to UNL’s East Campus, between 33rd and 48th streets.  The agreement includes Deadmans Run project bridge design, channel and flume design, design of a detention basin, right-of-way acquisition and more.  The agreement calls for $1.2 million each from the city and LPSNRD for the Deadmans Run project in the next fiscal year. The overall, multi-year project will result in floodplain reduction, therefore removing more than 500 homes and businesses from the current floodplain. 

Other projects in the Work Plan agreement:

• A stream stabilization project already underway along Salt Creek at Old Cheney Road will continue under the agreement ($403,000 each).
• Construction is expected to begin this fall on a Beal Slough stream stability project, 70th Street to Pine Lake Road, at Gapp Park ($350,000 each).
• A Little Salt Creek grade stabilization project at 14th Street ($80,000 each) will include Lancaster County as a partner.

The agreement also includes cost-sharing for various stormwater activities, such as maintenance, planning and education. The City of Lincoln is expected to consider the work plan soon. 

The LPSNRD Board gave approval to an update of its Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan, detailing actions by participating communities in the event of various natural disasters. After organizing development of the plan in 2012, LPSNRD also plays a principal role in the plan’s updating every five years. Plan participants include Lancaster County, Cass County and cities, villages and other entities within LPSNRD. Besides decreasing the vulnerability of participating communities to natural disasters, their participation also makes them eligible for federal pre-disaster grant opportunities. Each of the participating entities will be considering approval of the Hazard Mitigation Plan update over the next year.

In other action the board:

• Approved a Memorandum of Agreement with the National Association of Conservation Districts for Technical Assistance funding
• Authorized the Board Chair to determine regular board meeting times, dates and locations, through September, due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Any modifications to normal procedures will be posted at LPSNRD.org.
• Approved a professional services agreement for design, permitting and construction observation services for a Salt Creek Levee pipe replacement project near Charleston Street ($23,220)
• Approved cost-sharing on five surface water quality best management practice projects totaling $53,268
• Approved a cooperative agreement with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for a Conservation and Survey Division test hole drilling program ($45,000 over the next three years)
• Approved a proposal for restoring the top of North Oak Dam 1-A (Wildwood Lake) to its original elevation.  The dam has settled since it was built in the 1970s ($36,700)

The next meeting of the LPSNRD Board of Directors will be Wednesday, June 17th, 2020, beginning at 6 PM (one hour earlier than normal). Check LPSNRD.org for access instructions to this remote meeting.