Opinion ID: 1832483
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: water projects and the cooperative agreement

Text: The District and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service, a federal agency involved in water resource projects, had previously planned a grade stabilization structure at the proposed developments. The District also wanted to incorporate flood control into the plan at that location. Marlin J. Petermann, the assistant general manager for the District, testified that increased development in the area had created a greater need for flood control. In addition, the city of Papillion has required the construction of dams and reservoirs as flood control and grade stabilization structures in the developments. After negotiations, the District, the city of Papillion, the developers, and the sanitary and improvement districts drafted a Cooperative Agreement (Agreement) providing for the construction of the dams and reservoirs. The proposed Agreement requires that SLD and sanitary and improvement district No. 264 build two dams: the Midlands Lake dam at Shadow Lake, and the Shadow Lake dam, which would span both Shadow Lake and Towne Center. The reservoirs created by these dams would be primarily in Shadow Lake. The Agreement would require the District to contribute to the costs of design, construction, project administration, permits, and project land rights. The District agreed to pay 75 percent of the cost of the Shadow Lake dam and 100 percent of the engineering and construction costs of the Midlands Lake dam, up to a maximum of $3,357,278. The Agreement also required the District to permanently operate and maintain the dams; SLD, 370 LLC, and the sanitary improvement districts would contribute the land rights required for the project and the remaining costs. Petermann testified that the Shadow Lake project is a multipurpose project and that its purposes include [f]lood control, water quality, recreation, [and] sediment/erosion control .... The appellants' expert, an engineer employed by an environmental management consulting firm, opined that the proposed dams could help control erosion and would provide some flood control for the area. The Agreement does not include requirements for recreational facilities, but Petermann stated that the plan includes about 60 acres around the reservoirs that would be accessible to the public. The city of Papillion would determine the specific details about access and facilities.