Seward County Commissioners opened a single bid for a comprehensive, county-wide hydrogeologic assessment on Oct. 27, but postponed action on it until interlocal agreements with its anticipated funding partners are finalized.
Spheros Environmental, a nation-wide environmental consulting company headquartered in Denver, submitted a bid of $99,600 to complete the study.
Seward County Board of Commissioners Chair Misty Ahmic said neither the Upper Big Blue nor the Lower Platte South natural resources districts’ boards have had a chance to approve the interlocal agreements proposed for the collaborative study with the county.
“If we did move forward with it, we would be liable for all funding” if the NRDs did not agree to help, she said.
She expects the NRDs to put the interlocal agreements before their boards for approval in the next two or three weeks.
The current bid would remain active in that timeline, Ahmic said. No specific date was set to have the commissioners act on the bid.
The hydrogeologic assessment is expected to provide useful information as the county looks at conditional use permits and other zoning requests, in which water availability often is considered.
While the county’s proposed zoning regulations include criteria for consideration of data center applications, the county is now bound by the existing regulations that do not include regulations specific to that purpose.
The board on June 30 placed a moratorium on data center applications until a policy can be updated.
Seward County and other governmental units in the county often rely on a study of the county’s water resources and limits performed in 1973. While the county has indicated some of that data could still be valid, the new study is intended to update that across the area.
In other action, the commissioners:
• Approved the surplus property disposal request for the sheriff’s office after a discussion with Capt. Lisa Borges and Deputy Joseph Ernst regarding the process for selling or trading in surplus firearms.
• Approved a Black Hills Energy request to bore along Van Dorn Road east of 224th Road to establish service to customer there.
• Approved the Seward County Chamber and Development Partnership’s request to use the courthouse lawn in November for ongoing activity with the Santa House through the holiday season, as well as access to the public restrooms for the Christmas Festival activities and parade on Nov. 28.
• Postponed consideration of an application to the Seward County Opioid Fund at the applicant’s request.
• Approved the Seward County treasurer’s list of distress warrants for Tax Year 2025 which are to be collected by the Seward County Sheriff’s Department if they are not yet received at the treasurer’s office.
