The Public is invited to the Water Task Projects Meeting this week in Alliance at the Knight Museum and Sandhills Center.
There will be a public input session but it would be educational to set in on the rest of the meeting as well. An overview on what the Task Force is about and the meeting agenda are attached as well as embedded below in the body of this email.
Mission and Meeting Agenda for Alliance Oct 10 & 11, 2013
The recently formed Statewide Water Funding Task Force began a five-month process to produce a long-term funding plan for Nebraska’s water projects to help maintain water sustainability. Six state senators, 27 citizens, and the director of the Department of Natural Resources signed on to wrestle with Nebraska’s future water challenges. Olsson Associates is supporting this effort through its consultation services.
The Task Force will travel across the state to see first-hand the issues facing those who work and live in each of the state’s major watersheds. Meetings were held recently in Franklin and Holdrege, where Task Force members toured several projects completed in the Republican River Basin. They learned of the challenges in the Blue River Basin and began prioritizing goals that will lead to project and funding recommendations.
The Task Force identified the following top priorities:
•Projects that increase water productivity and otherwise maximize the beneficial use of Nebraska’s water resources for the benefit of its residents
•Projects that are cost-effective in achieving the state’s water management goals
•Projects that contribute to multiple water supply management goals, including, but not limited to, flood control, agricultural uses, municipal uses, recreation benefits, wildlife habitat, conservation of water resources, and preservation of water resources for future generations.
PUBLIC NOTICE
MEETING RELATED TO THE WATER FUNDING TASK FORCE
ESTABLISHED THROUGH LB 517
Notice is hereby provided that a public meeting of the Water Funding Task Force (established through passage of LB 517 in 2013) will be held on Thursday, October 10, and continues through Friday, October 11, 2013 at the Knight Museum in Alliance, Nebraska. This is the seventh meeting of the Water Funding Task Force and it will include a panel discussion on water funding administration from the Directors of the Wyoming Water Development Commission and Colorado Water Conservation Board. Task Force working sessions will focus on the results of the second round of project ranking criteria evaluations.
On Thursday, October 10, the Task Force meeting will begin at 8:00 a.m. and end at approximately 5:00 p.m., Central Time. On Friday, October 11, the Task Force meeting will begin at 8:00 a.m. and end at approximately 9:30 a.m. Public Comments will be taken each day at the end of the meeting.
An agenda for the meeting is available in the office of the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources during normal business hours and on the Department’s website at www.dnr.ne.gov/lb517.
Based on Task Force approval, future public meetings of the Task Force will be noticed on the Department’s website atwww.dnr.ne.gov/lb517.
Individuals with disabilities may request auxiliary aids and services necessary for participation by contacting Karen Griffin at least 72 hours in advance at Olsson Associates, 1111 Lincoln Mall, Suite 111, Lincoln, NE 68508, telephone 402.458.5033, or email [email protected].
Proposed Agenda for the Water Funding Task Force
Thursday and Friday, October 10 and 11, 2013
Knight Museum and Sandhills Center
908 Yellowstone Ave, Alliance, Nebraska
Meeting Objective:
The meeting in Alliance, Nebraska will include two working sessions. A panel discussion on water funding administration and structure will be held in the morning. In the afternoon, results of the criteria and ranking exercise will be presented and discussed.On Friday, the Upper Niobrara White and North Platte Natural Resources Districts will provide a brief overview of their issues, projects and water funding needs followed by a tour from Alliance to Bridgeport.
THURSDAY, October 10, 2013 – 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
1.0 Welcome
• Request Public Sign in for Comments
• Roll Call and Approval of Meeting Minutes
• Summary of previous meeting and project status
• Overview of today’s meeting
2.0 Educational Session – Morning
• Harry LaBonde – Director of the Wyoming Water Development Commission
• James Eklund- Director of the Colorado Water Conservation Board
3.0 Task Force Working Session: Funding and Administration
• Presentation of Current Water Funding by Nebraska State Agencies
• Presentation of Program Administration Options
Lunch for Task Force Members and Speakers – Noon to 1:00
4.0 Task Force Working Session: Criteria and Ranking
• Mindmixer comment discussion
• Results and Discussion of Criteria Evaluation using Task Force selected Programs, Project and Activities
5.0 Public Comments
6.0 Recess Public Meeting for the Day 2
FRIDAY, October 11 – 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM
1.0 Welcome
• Request Public Sign in for Comments
• Overview of today’s meeting
2.0 Educational Session
• Pat O’Brien, General Manager of the Upper Niobrara White Natural Resources District
• John Berge – General Manager of the North Platte Natural Resources District
3.0 Adjourn Public Meeting
4.0 Tour – From Alliance to Bridgeport – 9:00 to Noon
Noon to 1:00 – Lunch for Task Force Members and Speakers at the John Deere Training Facility in Bridgeport, NE