(HOLDREGE, Neb.) - The Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District board of directors approved a contract amendment for continued development and analyses for options to reface Kingsley Dam at the November meeting.
The approved agreement with RJH Consultants is for studies that will take place over the next eight months with an amount not to exceed $500,000.
At the board working meeting that was held on October 25, Tom MacDougall of RJH presented various concepts to repair the facing of Kingsley Dam including riprap, and Xblock concrete product, concrete faced soil cement and internally vibrated roller compacted concrete (IVRCC).
He recommended to continue research, install instruments to measure wave heights and wind speeds directly over the water and perform advanced computerized modeling to evaluate wave and ice forces to ensure the District can employ the best solution.
The board approved the contract amendment allowing the consultants to continue evaluation on this historic project to ensure Kingsley Dam will continue to operate flawlessly for generations to come while being good stewards of the District’s finances.
Also at Monday’s board meeting:
• Directors approved a 2025 service agreement with Johnson Lake Development Inc., (JLDI) for $62,947. The agreement covers communications, insurance and related services, yard waste landfill operations, contracted sanitation disposal services and mowing some common areas at the lake.
• The board approved Permitting Procedure Amendments that are expected to streamline the permitting process through a collaborative effort to coordinate with and utilize some existing state, county and local requirements. An effective date to roll out the new procedures will be determined by staff and is projected to be sometime in 2025.
• It was voted on by the board to permit the installation of artificial turf that allows for water permeation within a tenant’s or subtenant’s leased lot boundaries.
• Irrigation and Water Services manager Scott Dicke reported that the substantial completion date for the Elwood Seepage Mitigation Project was Oct. 26 with the final punch list competed on Nov. 26. The board approved a work change directive in the amount of $23,000 to place sand under a new weir box at the site and potentially additional filter sand around another existing box. The final cost of the project will be approximately $5,106,877 (not including pre or post construction efforts) with Central paying $1,106,877. The Platte River Recovery Implementation Program (PRRIP) and Nebraska Department of Natural Resources each provided $2 million to support this project.
• Civil Engineer Tyler Thulin reported that Lake McConaughy’s elevation was at 3233.2 feet on Monday (54.1% capacity). Inflows are around 1,250 cubic feet per second (cfs) and outflows are about 25 cfs. He added that the hydrocycling period restrictions will end on November 11.