GRAND ISLAND, Nebraska – The Central Platte Natural Resources District’s (CPNRD) Board of Directors approved their 2024 Fiscal budget of expenditures to hold a public hearing at 1:45 p.m. on July 27, 2023, just prior to the Board of Directors July meeting. The total proposed budget is $34.9 million with an estimated tax of $4,725,000, which is up $300,000 from the 2023 FY budget.  A hearing to set the tax request and levy will be scheduled prior to the August 31st board meeting. The Board is meeting a week later to receive the county valuations. The Central Platte NRD’s Board of Directors meetings are held at 2:00 p.m. at the CPNRD Office located at 215 Kaufman Ave in Grand Island.

Other Action/Reports

-Upcoming Water Projects  The Water Utilization Committee met to discuss the two projects that Central Platte NRD is developing agreements for including the Meadowlark Project and B-1 Reservoir. On Wednesday, JWC Gburg LLC announced a new eco-friendly fertilizer manufacturing plant will be built in Gothenburg, Nebraska. The plant will be the first in the nation to use electricity and water instead of natural gas to produce nitrogen fertilizer. CPNRD is negotiating with the JWC Gburg on selling up to 2,000 acre-feet of water that the plant will need for production.

CPNRD is also exploring options for a project with the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources on developing a well field to pump water back to the Platte River.

-Manager’s Report  Lyndon Vogt, General Manager, reported on the following:

         Nebraska Association of Resources District (NARD) Basin Tour  Sixty-five people attended the NARD basin tour hosted by the Central Platte NRD in June. The tour made several stops across the district including the Prairie-Silver-Moores Flood Risk Reduction Project, Raising Nebraska and the Outdoor Learning Area at the Nebraska State Fairgrounds, the Alda and Gibbon Crane Decks, B-1 Reservoir, and the Cozad Ditch Company Headgates.
         Supreme Court Decision  Several articles have been circulated concerning the Supreme Court Decision on Wetlands. The new ruling says a surface water connection must be present to navigable water for a wetland to be regulated. For years the “Significant nexus” to navigable waters rule has been used.
         Water Quality Violations  Vogt reported that all but four of the 53 cease and desist orders that Tricia Dudley, Water Quality Specialist, mailed out are now in compliance with the CPNRD’s Groundwater Quality Management Program.

-Tree Report   Kelly Cole, Administrative Assistant, reported that CPNRD sold 32,203 trees to landowners through the Conservation Tree Program this spring and nearly 10 miles of fabric weed barrier.  CPNRD has sold over 3.8 million trees since 1973 and 623 miles of weed barrier since 1991.

-Natural Resources Conservation Service  Jacob Kendrick, Resource Conservationist of Central City, reported that there has been a significant growth of farmers using real-time aerial plant sensor data in conjunction with fertigation to reduce nutrient application, while still maintaining their yields. Soil moisture probes and Variable Rate Irrigation (VRI) paired with a soil moisture probe on pivots can improve energy and water use.  Kendrick also reported that a Cover Crop & Soil Health Field Day will be held on July 19th in York with presentations by NRCS, Pheasants Forever, UNL Extension, and The Nature Conservancy. Register at https://nebraskapf.com/product/cover-crop-soil-health-field-day/

Joe Krolikowski, District Conservationist, reported that NRCS conducted the annual status reviews as part of its conservation provisions of the National Food Security Act of 1985 for the 2022 crop year. In total, staff completed 64 status reviews for potential wetland and/or highly erodible land issues.

-Executive Committee  The Executive Committee met to discuss personnel.

-Nebraska Association of Resources District  Deb VanMatre, CPNRD Representative, reported that the NARD Board of Directors approved the 2024 FY budget, and that the Association’s Risk Management Pool (health insurance) will maintain the same rate for employees this next year.

-Nebraska Natural Resources Commission  Mick Reynolds, Middle Platte Basin Representative, reported there are grant requests for 14 small projects ($250,000 or less) and 4 large projects ($250,000+). Reynolds said the scoring committee will present their recommendations on the proposed projects at their next meeting scheduled for July 19th in Kearney.

-Cost-Share  Three applications for burn preparation and well decommissioning were approved for funding through the Nebraska Soil and Water Conservation and the Central Platte NRD cost-share programs in the amount of $6,857.50.

-Upcoming Board Meetings  August 31, September 28, October 26