News Items

      News

Here's the latest from the South Platte NRD:
Ground Water Study Released

Well Owners Reminded to Complete Flow Meter Installation

Tree Price Increase

Directors Review IMP Draft

Cash for Grass Program

Nitrates in the SPNRD

2007 Ground Water Level Report

New Personnel on board

Flow Meter Program

Allocation Subareas, Base Allocations and Implementation Timeframe

Citizens’ Monitoring Committee monitors impact of Kimball CHESI facility

Conservation Awards in the SPNRD

Variance Advisory Group formed

Five area teens attend 44^th Annual Range Camp

NRD certifying irrigated acres, aims to protect irrigation history
Reminder: All irrigators must become certified to use groundwater
Water Marketing: the New Frontier in Nebraska Water Law
Grant Money Helps Plug Abandoned Wells for Free
Community Forestry Program Awards $17,830 for Tree Planting Projects
Is Your Irrigation Well Registered? Landowners Should Make Sure
Incentive Raised To Forego Weed Control After Wheat Harvest
Pivot Conversion Program Proves Successful, Boosts Incentives
WANTED: Local Weather Watchers For NeRAIN
Federal Funds Help With Flow Meter Projects
Groundwater Management: Where We've Been, Where We're Going
Chemigation Systems Proving Popular, Inspections A Must
Drought Response: Careful Lawn Watering Is A Must
NRD Receives Center Pivot Conversion Grant
Gardening Can Continue Even In Drought
The SPNRD Community Forestry Program
NRD Celebrates 35 Years of Conservation Accomplishments
Wellhead Protection Program At Work
NRD Improves Irrigation Cost-Share Program
Incentive Offered For Leaving Taller Wheat Stubble For Pheasants
Research: Sprinkler Use Could Reduce Nitrates
Conservation Cost Share Funding Available Now
Landowners Urged To Protect Water Wells
WILD Nebraska Offers Incentives To Benefit Wildlife

Ground Water Study Released

Where does the water around Sidney come from, and just how did it get there?

Those are two questions behind a study released by the South Platte Natural Resources District (SPNRD). The study, performed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the SPNRD and with assistance from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Conservation and Survey Division (CSD), evaluates ground water supplying needs in the Sidney area. The five-year study was funded by the Nebraska Environmental Trust, SPNRD and the USGS.

The study is one of several the SPNRD hopes to initiate as officials work to better understand water interaction throughout the District.

As part of the study, the area’s well monitoring network was upgraded in 2003 to determine:

- General movement of ground water between tableland areas and Lodgepole Creek;

- General ground water chemistry;

- Age of ground water; and

- Source of ground water.

Twenty-nine new monitoring wells were added within the 122-square-mile study area. The wells were spread through the Lodgepole Creek Valley and Sidney Draw from west of Brownson to several miles east of Sidney, and from just north of the Sidney airport to the tablelands in the Sioux Army Depot area.

Three aquifers are in the study area. Those are the Ogallala, Brule and Brule sand.

Gregory V. Steele, a hydrologist with the USGS Nebraska Water Science Center in Lincoln, told the SPNRD Board of Directors at its Tuesday, September 11 meeting that primarily, ground water from the tablelands north of Sidney flows in a northeasterly direction. That is due to a ground water divide winding its way parallel to the Lodgepole Creek Valley.

Straight north of Sidney, the ground water divide is about three miles outside the city. Steele explained the divide is just like its more familiar above-ground cousin, the Great Divide at the top of the Rocky Mountains. In both cases, water flows downhill from the peak.

Water on the south side of the area’s ground water divide flows toward the Lodgepole Creek Valley and the Brule aquifer. North of the divide, groundwater flows toward the North Platte River Basin.

According to the study, other ground water flows feeding Sidney area aquifers are mainly to the west and southwest. Flows from the west include ground water from tablelands that flow into the Lodgepole Creek Valley then eastward. Groundwater coming from Sidney Draw flows northeast until it meets the Lodgepole Creek Valley on Sidney’s west side.

So where does that water come from?

Steele said aquifers in the study area get their water from precipitation. While other area water resources are somewhat recharged by the massive Ogallala aquifer, Steele said research determined that in the study area, there is minimal interaction between the Ogallala and the Brule aquifers.

A portion of the Sidney area aquifers are made up of what is termed “modern” water, often less than 50 years old. Even so, the report shows there is also water believed to be much older, as much as 28,000 years old.

According to Steele, the water’s “age” comes from the time it was calculated to have entered the aquifers.

Chemical makeup of the water itself is used to make the study’s determinations. Steele explained water absorbs chemicals in the atmosphere. By analyzing the chemical contents within the water, scientists are able to match that with known atmospheric data to estimate age.

When it comes to water’s origin, the report reveals there are chemical ratios present unique to rainfall. Once in the aquifers, that water takes on additional chemical signatures unique to that particular aquifer.

In the Sidney area, ground water coming from the Brule formations has a distinctive sodium bicarbonate signature, while Ogallala aquifer ground water is a calcium bicarbonate type. By comparing the chemical signatures, science shows that the shallower Brule ground water was in contact with the Ogallala, but deeper Brule ground water is hydraulically isolated from the Ogallala. When it comes to Sidney area ground water, the relationship is relatively insignificant.

Rod Horn, SPNRD general manager, said that overall the study confirmed many of the things already shown or believed to be true about Sidney area ground water, but also provided some new insights.

“As we look to managing our water resources within the District this data will be a valuable tool,” Horn said. “The more information we have to better understand our resources, the better our decisions as staff and directors will be.”

Horn said he would like to see similar studies performed throughout the District, although geological studies like this one are costly.

In a separate effort to further its understanding of the District’s geology, the SPNRD Directors have approved forwarding an application to the Nebraska Environmental Trust for funding of a special survey in conjunction with the North Platte NRD, headquartered in Scottsbluff.

That three-year, $1.27 million project, would use an airborne, electromagnetic survey sensor to help analyze key geological formations in both Districts.

Horn said if funding can be obtained, that project could begin in 2008.

To receive a copy, or to obtain more information regarding the current ground water study, or SPNRD plans and efforts, Horn encourages area residents to contact the SPNRD.

Well Owners Reminded To Complete Flow Meter Installation

As irrigation season winds down, the South Platte Natural Resources District (SPNRD) reminds water well owners/operators on tablelands in Cheyenne and Kimball counties they have an important deadline approaching in the off season.

According to Districtwide Ground Water Management Area Rules and Regulations, wells that pump 50 gallons or more for irrigation purposes must have flow meters installed.

Already, well owners/operators in the District’s areas deemed overappropriated by the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources, the Lodgepole Creek Valley and the Sidney Draw area, have installed flow meters.

So far, about half of the wells on tablelands in Cheyenne County have been metered and the remaining half needs to be done by March 1, 2008. By that date, half of Kimball County tableland wells need to have meters installed as well.

District-wide, all wells must have meters installed by March 1, 2009.

According to Travis Glanz, SPNRD Water Resources Technician, flow meters must be installed by contractors certified by the SPNRD. Glanz said one reason the SPNRD is reminding well owners/operators now is so they can make arrangements with certified contractors for work now, so they don’t get caught in a last-minute rush.

To assist well owners and operators with the costs involved, Glanz said there is cost-share assistance available through the Nebraska Soil and Water Conservation Program. The program was initiated to help landowners install conservation practices needed to help protect Nebraska's valuable soil and water resources. The share usually covers about 50 percent of costs.

Glanz also reminds owners of wells that have already had meters installed that according to District guidelines, those meters must be maintained by certified maintenance contractors. Those contractors can make sure meters meet the requirement of being fully functional, properly maintained and in good working condition.

Cost assistance is also available for maintenance, Glanz said. Landowners/operators can receive $30 per meter once every three years to help defray maintenance costs.

Well owners/operators wanting to sign up for cost share programs or needing a list of SPNRD approved maintenance or installation contractors can call the SPNRD office 308-254-2377 or toll free in Nebraska at 1-877-800-1030.

Tree Price Increase

Due to increases from its suppliers, the South Platte Natural Resources District has raised prices of trees slightly for next year’s Conservation Tree Program.

Galen Wittrock, SPNRD assistant manager, said the 15-cent-per-tree increase is the first the SPNRD has had to make for several years. The increase was approved by the SPNRD Board of Directors at its August meeting.

Despite the increase, Wittrock said the District is working to keep prices affordable and reminds landowners that cost-share programs remain in place to assist them as they make plans.

Bare root trees and shrubs remain the least expensive of the District’s offerings at 80 cents each. Small potted specimens are 90 cents apiece, while regular potted trees are $1.25 each. Wittrock said there is a 10-tree minimum for each species ordered.

Through the SPNRD’s Conservation Tree Program, the District provides containerized and bare-root tree seedlings for establishing farmstead windbreaks, shelterbelts and wildlife habitat. Since 1977, the SPNRD has sold nearly three million trees and shrubs.

Through NRD, landowners can obtain cost share assistance not only with trees, but also for fabric mulch or drip watering systems.

Landowners wanting to plant trees on their property have several options to choose from. They can have District approved contractors do the work of planting, or rent the District’s tree-planter.

While this year’s prime growing season is coming to an end, Wittrock says now is the time for landowners to begin thinking about their property plans. The District will begin taking orders for the 2008 Conservation Tree Program in October and Wittrock urges anyone needing assistance with cost shares or planning to contact the SPNRD at 308-254-2377.

Information on the Conservation Tree Program and other conservation programs can be obtained by calling the SPNRD or visiting its Website at www.spnrd.org.

Click here to obtain a printable tree order form.

Directors Review IMP Draft

At its regular August meeting, the South Platte Natural Resources District Board of Directors got a good look at the District’s Integrated Management Plan (IMP).

The IMP draft, culminating many hours of meetings by the District IMP Work Group and various subcommittees, was reviewed by Tina Kurtz from the Nebraska Dept. of Natural Resources.

The draft states the goal for the IMP is to work together for the greater good of all citizens in the SPNRD to cooperatively develop and implement a local Integrated Surface Water/Ground Water Plan that has an acceptable degree of certainty of 1) maintaining a sufficient water supply for use by present and future generations, 2) maintaining, enhancing and protecting the region’s agricultural economy and the viability of its cities and villages and 3) promoting the growth of economic activities while seeking to avoid adverse impacts on the environment.

To accomplish its goal, the plan has several objectives.

First is to conduct data collection on current water uses, availability of water resources in the region, determine the level of sustainable use and develop and utilize appropriate scientific and technical tools to guide decision making.

Secondly, the District will provide education to explain why the district is developing the IMP and how it will help to sustain the region’s water supply.

The District will also encourage the use of practices that conserve water in the region’s aquifers.

Additionally, the SPNRD will work with adjacent states and NRDs to minimize the adverse impacts of water uses within the SPNRD; streamline and make the permit application processes more uniform and predictable; and provide information and assistance for the transfer of water uses among counties, cities, villages and producers within the State.

In capping its objectives, the District states that in the process of managing resources, the IMP must recognize that it took a long time for the current conditions to develop and a long time may be required before the implemented plan can be successful. If successful, it is expected that the implementation of the IMP will maintain the ability of local groups to develop and manage water resources on which their quality of life depends.

While the SPNRD is the first of the Platte River Basin NRDs to reach its current point, the District recognized the magnitude of its undertaking to meet state requirements. The state originally required that IMPs be completed by September 15, 2007, but seeing that the difficult task of completing the IMP could not be completed by that date, the District Board of Directors approved a one year extension. According to state law, the NRD and the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources jointly approve such extensions.

“This is a monumental task,” said SPNRD Information and Education Coordinator Don Ogle. “While our District is leading the way in drafting its IMP, we have also been the first to discover many of the bumps in the road. First, the board has had to make sure it properly understands state law, in this case LB962 and the accompanying legislation in LB 1226, and make sure it is properly applied to all the district’s water users. Then, getting IMP workgroups together and bringing forth a viable plan is another daunting task.”

While reviewing the IMP, officials involved are also comparing its affect on the Overappropriated Basin-wide Plan. SPNRD Manager Rod Horn said the IMP must remain consistent with the guidelines set forth in the OA Basin-wide Plan, which is also still being drafted.

The IMP draft has been distributed for review throughout the district, including IMP Work Group members and Ground Water Advisory Committee members.

Once input is reviewed and the IMP completed, the board will put it on the agenda for a public hearing.

While that process is expected to take some time, it is anticipated the IMP will be approved sometime in early 2008.

The IMP draft is available for review at the South Platte NRD office at 551 Parkland Dr. in Sidney. Copies may also be obtained by contacting the SPNRD.

The South Platte NRD covers Kimball, Cheyenne and Deuel Counties in the southern Panhandle. The Board meets the second Tuesday of each month at the District office.

Cash for Grass Program

In the Panhandle where drought is taken seriously, sometimes success is measured in drops of water conserved. Funds from NDEQ Source Water Protection and the South Platte Natural Resources District (SPNRD) are again being utilized to aid homeowners to conserve municipal water by replacing thirsty bluegrass lawns with Legacy Buffalograss sod. This year, homeowners in Big Springs, Sidney and Chappell stepped forward and said, “Yes!” to water conservation. 3,850 sq feet of the sod was delivered to the panhandle at the end of June.

The South Platte NRD initiated the program in 2004. Since that time 24,768 square feet of bluegrass lawn was replaced with Legacy Buffalograss sod. According to Todd Valley Farms, Legacy uses about 75 percent less water than traditional turfgrasses, or 17,217 fewer gallons per year over a 1,000 square foot lawn. Accordingly, the water savings each year would be significant. As the program expands, savings will increase.

The SPNRD provides cost-share to eligible participants. In the four years the program has been in affect, rebates of over $9,000 have been paid to homeowners who participated in the program.

To qualify for the rebate, the sod must replace an irrigated lawn at a residential home served by a public water supplier within the city limits of Bushnell, Kimball, Dix, Potter, Dalton, Gurley, Sidney, Lodgepole, Chappell or Big Springs. Participants must agree to keep a small yard sign in the project area to identify the site for a minimum of two years, and agree to maintain the Legacy for at least five years, unless the property is sold.

Applications will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis while funding remains available. Qualifying applicants will be contacted to arrange a brief pre-inspection of the proposed site. Rebates will be issued only for projects approved in advance.

To find out more about the Cash for Grass Program call the SPNRD office. For more information about ways for conserving water go to the SPNRD website at www.spnrd.org and click on “Drought Response: Careful Lawn Watering is a Must” and “Gardening can continue Even in Drought” or call the South Platte NRD at 308-254-2377.

Nitrates in the SPNRD

In 2006, the SPNRD completed its fifteenth year of monitoring in the network, a project in which we return to the same well each year and collect two samples in May through October.

Of the 158 network wells, 141 were sampled at least once this year. This breaks down to 62 of 64 domestic wells and 79 of 94 irrigation wells. The 40 monitoring wells in the District are sampled quarterly along with eight City of Sidney Municipal wells. The remainder of the samples taken over the summer included duplicates and samples taken for individuals’ requesting nitrate analysis.

This year the Sidney and South Platte Valley Ground Water Quality Management Subareas both showed small decreases in the average nitrate-nitrogen value. However, the East Lodgepole and Lodgepole Ground Water Quality Management Subareas both showed slight increases. Call Ryan 308-254-2377 with any questions or more information.

Just a reminder that Annual Nitrogen Management Reports are required for all Phase II irrigated acres in the South Platte Valley Subarea where fertilizer is applied and all irrigated corn acres in the Sidney Subarea. If you have questions, please call Ryan at 308-254-2377 or toll free 877-800-1030.

2007 Ground Water Level Report

The one year ground water levels in Cheyenne county declined -1.28 feet on average with 86% of wells measured showing declines. Deuel County showed an average decline of -.78 feet with 71% of measured wells showing declines. Kimball County showed 91% of measured wells declining with an average decline of -2.04 feet.

Five year results comparing water levels from spring of 2002 with spring of 2007 showed 84% of all measured wells, across the District showing a decline. In the fully appropriated area 25 of 37 (68%) measured wells showed a decline. However in the overappropriated area 73 of 79 (92%) measured wells showed a decline.

Twenty year results show the largest average decline in the Sidney area at -22.41 feet. Deuel County’s largest declines appear on the tablelands with a -4.02 feet average decline. Kimball County’s largest declines appear in Lodgepole Creek near the Wyoming/Nebraska State line. Call Ryan 308-254-2377 with any questions or more information.

New Personnel on Board

Travis Glanz came on board in April as the new Water Resources Technician. He comes to the NRD after working in Omaha for several years. He is a graduate of the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture in Curtis. His major thrust is the flow meter program.

Kyle Liebig is our new Natural Resources Coordinator. He was hired in May 2006 as the Water Resources Technician and took over the Natural Resources Coordinator position in February 2007. He is a 2006 graduate of Doane College.

Jodi Livingstone was hired in February. She is our new District Secretary, relieving some of the Administrative Secretary’s workload and assisting other SPNRD staff. Jodi has a Certificate in Business Management and an AA in Fashion Merchandising and Interior Design.

Ryan Reisdorff, formerly our Natural Resources Coordinator, is now the Water Resources Coordinator. He assumed the position after Ken Quandt resigned. He works hard to ensure the ground water in the SPNRD is used conservatively.

Don Ogle became the Information & Education Coordinator August 13. Don has a dozen years experience in newspaper and public relations. He says the chance to combine writing with his farm and horticultural background and experience made joining the SPNRD a perfect match for his interests.

Flow Meter Program

According to the Districtwide Ground Water Management Area Rules and Regulations, all wells within the District pumping 50 gallons per minute or more must have flow meters installed by a contractor certified by the SPNRD. All of the District’s wells within the overappropriated Lodgepole Creek Valley and the Sidney Draw area have had meters installed.

Wells on tablelands in Kimball, Cheyenne and Deuel counties and the South Platte Valley in Deuel County must still be metered by the deadlines listed below:

Installation Schedule:

            Kimball County

            Lodgepole Creek Valley: All wells by 3/1/2006

            Tablelands: Half by 3/1/2008 and all wells by 3/1/2009

            Cheyenne County

            Lodgepole Creek Valley: All wells by 3/1/2005

            Tablelands: All wells by 3/1/2008

            Deuel County

            Lodgepole Creek Valley: All wells by 3/1/2007

            Tablelands and South Platte Valley: All wells by 3/1/2009

A list of SPNRD approved flow meter installation contractors is available at the SPNRD office or can be mailed to you.

Cost share is available

You can receive cost-share assistance for your flow meter installation through the Nebraska Soil and Water Conservation Program (NSWCP). An application can be completed in our office or at the NRCS offices. Call Travis at 308-254-2377 or toll free 877-800-1030.

Flow Meter Maintenance Cost-Share Program:

Rule 17.c.4 in the Districtwide Ground Water Management Area Rules and Regulations requires each ground water user, landowner or operator of a water well or wells to ensure that each flow meter installed on such well or wells are fully functional, properly maintained and in good working condition.

To meet this challenge, the South Platte NRD offers costs share for routine maintenance to landowners/operators at $30 per meter once every three years to be completed by a certified contractor. To sign up for the cost share program or to see a list of SPNRD approved flow meter maintenance contractors call the SPNRD office at 308-254-2377 or toll free 877-800-1030.

Allocation Subareas, Base Allocations and Timeframe for Implementation

The map above lays out the SPNRD Board of Directors plan for the first round of allocations in the District.

Call Ryan with any questions regarding the allocation for your area.

Citizens’ Monitoring Committee monitors impact of Kimball CHESI facility

The Clean Harbors Citizen’s Monitoring Committee, a special committee overseen by the South Platte NRD, begins its 19th year of providing third party oversight of the Kimball incinerator’s operations. The consultant that the committee works with is Jacque Hughes of MILCO Environmental Services, Inc. (McCook, NE). Hughes keeps the committee up to date with quarterly reports, reviews permits and compliance issues with the facility and NDEQ and EPA.

The Kimball CHESI facility serves the entire United States as a storage and treatment facility for a variety of industrial waste utilizing a 45,000 ton-per-year fluidized bed incinerator. The state-of-the-art thermal oxidation unit ('"TOU") is capable of maximum destruction efficiencies of hazardous waste and is able to handle an extremely wide variety of feeds.

Citizens’ Monitoring Committee members include Larry Stahla, Jim Cederburg, Duane Janicek, Peggy Sanders, Will Brown, Jim Johnson (SPNRD Director, Subdistrict 2) and Rod Horn, SPNRD General Manager. The committee meets about 6-8 times a year in Kimball. For more information about the committee’s activities, contact Rod Horn at 308-254-2377 or rlhorn@hamilton.net.

Conservation Awards in the SPNRD

The South Platte Natural Resource District Conservation Awards are given every October. Each year the South Platte NRD solicits nominations from NRD, NRCS, NRD Directors, County Extension and others. This year’s Banquet will be held October 27, 2007 at the Sidney Holiday Inn. Watch the web site for updates. New award winners will be chosen and posted on the site. Each year four categories of nominations are accepted: Conservation Farm, Tree Planter/Caretaker, Grassland Manager and Environmental Educator.

Conservation Award winners for 2006 included: Conservation Farm (Kimball Co.), Chris & Beth Bogert, Dix; Tree Planter/Caretaker, LaVera Magie and Norman Rochlitz, Big Springs; Grassland Manager, Tim & Julie Bond, Lodgepole;

Environmental Educator, Sarah Whiting, Creek Valley High School.

Variance Advisory Group Formed

In order to process requests from irrigators, the SPNRD Board of Directors formed a Variance Advisory Group (Group). The Group meets on a regular basis to hear requests from irrigators and make recommendations to the SPNRD Board. Some of the requests brought before the Group are pooling, modification of irrigated acres and other variances from the SPNRD Ground Water Management Area Rules and Regulations. Since their first meeting in February 2007, the Group has heard over 25 requests, made recommendations and forwarded the recommendations to the SPNRD Board for their final decision. Members on the Group are Bernie Fehringer, Chair, Alan Adamson, Vice-Chair, Mike McGreer, Dave Weiderspon, Randy Faessler, Paul Hutchison, Tom Biggs and Larry Rutt. Along with the members are the following alternates: Craig Maas, Bill Halligan, Alan Bieber, Frank Rauner, Time Peetz, Deb Crago and Keith Rexroth. For more information about the Variance Advisory Group call the South Platte NRD at 308-254-2377.

Five area teens attend 44th Annual Nebraska Range Camp

Each year the South Platte NRD (SPNRD) awards scholarships to the Nebraska Range Camp. Those receiving full scholarships ($275.00) were: Ashley Schievelbein (Deuel County) and Mark Johnson and Jake Nelson (Cheyenne County). There were no applications from Kimball County this year. Also attending and providing their own funding were Brandon George and Beau Hruska.

Along with other teens across Nebraska, the five campers from the District enjoyed a variety of classroom and hands-on experience with rangeland resources, range plant identification, range sites, range condition, prescribed burning, economics, stocking rates, livestock health and handling, wildlife habitat on rangeland, range improvements, rangeland ecology, plant anatomy and growth, geology and monitoring methods. In a nut shell, the experience is a short course in range land management. Campers are divided into crews and each crew is sponsored by a well respected ranch from Nebraska. The IDs that the crews use throughout the week are the brands from the sponsoring ranches.

One highlight of the week was a tour of the Hamilton Ranch north of Thedford. After the tour the campers returned to camp for a steak fry. The campers from the District said it was “delicious”.

Jake Nelson and Mark Johnson placed in the top 10 for first year campers and will be eligible to compete for a trip in January 2008 to the International Society for Range Management meeting in Louisville, Kentucky. The theme is “Building Bridges: Grasslands to Rangelands”. Much of the meeting will focus on building partnerships with agencies, professional organizations and others in the agricultural and natural resource field.

Kristin Miller, District Conservationist NRCS-USDA, has been a part of Range Camp since she was a camper. She actively promotes Range Camp and assists in any way possible to help the experience happen for youth in the SPNRD. This year Kristin served as a Crew Boss along with numerous other tasks. She also provided transportation to and from camp for several of the campers in the District.

The campers shared their experiences with the SPNRD Board at its August meeting.

NRD certifying irrigated acres, aims to protect irrigation history

Farm owners and operators of irrigated land in Cheyenne, Deuel and Kimball counties are asked to contact the South Platte NRD to certify any irrigated acres in the district.

The process is a by-product of LB 962, the state’s new water law that outlines new requirements to address conflicts between surface water and groundwater users. A portion of the law calls for a freeze on the expansion of irrigated acres in any “fully appropriated” or “overappropriated” areas in an NRD.

Last year, the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources (DNR) declared the Lodgepole Creek and South Platte River valleys, the Sidney Draw and a small area in far northeast Cheyenne County to be overappropriated, and the rest of the three-county district –mainly the tablelands--to be fully appropriated.

Landowners and operators already certified acres in the Lodgepole Creek and Sidney Draw during the winter of 2002-2003, and in the South Platte Valley last spring. Irrigated acres in the rest of the district must be certified by March 1, 2006.

“Basically, any acres left uncertified may not be legally irrigated in the future,” said Ken Quandt, South Platte NRD water resources coordinator. “This process protects the landowner’s future right to irrigate the acres he or she certifies.”

Land with any irrigated history may be certified as irrigated, Quandt said. Landowners are encouraged to bring FSA, property tax, or crop insurance records to help verify irrigated history. NRD staff will also have aerial maps on hand to help identify which acres are currently being irrigated. Tenant farmers are encouraged to certify all of the irrigated acres they operate, but signatures must be obtained from the landowner, Quandt said.

Reminder: All irrigators must become certified to use groundwater

    In order to use groundwater for irrigation, all operators of irrigated cropland in the South Platte NRD must become certified in irrigation and nitrogen management.

    Certification is available by either:

    A) attending the SPNRD workshop, "Managing Irrigation and Nitrogen to Protect Water Quality" or

    B) achieving a score of 70 percent or higher on open book test from the workshop text.

    Certification is good for four years. All irrigated operators in Cheyenne, Deuel and Kimball counties must become recertified at the next next SPNRD "Managing Irrigation and Nitrogen to Protect Water Quality" workshop in February 2007 or must once again pass the open book test.

    Contact the NRD for more information.

Water Marketing: the New Frontier in Nebraska Water Law

(Note: Story author J. David Aiken is a Professor of Agricultural Economics at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln, where he has taught courses in agricultural law, environmental and natural resources law, environmental law and water law.)

Water marketing refers to the buying and selling of water rights. Typically, in many western states cities purchase water rights from farmers, because no unappropriated water is available. The water right transfer must be approved by the State Engineer to make sure that other water right holders are not harmed by the sale. Typically, the buyer receives only the amount of water consumed in the original use (e.g. irrigation), not the entire quantity of water allowed under the original water right.

Water marketing has not been active in Nebraska for one main reason – in most parts of Nebraska ground water has been available to meet the needs of new or expanded uses. So if a city needed more water, it drilled a new well. If a farmer wanted to irrigate, they drilled a new irrigation well.

But this is beginning to change, due to LB962 (enacted in 2004). Under LB962, the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources (DNR) can close all or portions of river basins designated as "fully appropriated" or "overappropriated" to new surface water rights and to new wells. All non-designated basis are to be reviewed annually by the DNR to determine whether they should be designated as fully appropriated. In designated basins natural resource districts (NRDs) and the DNR will develop a plan to bring water uses and water supplies into balance.

Currently, most of the Republican River Basin has been designated as fully appropriated. Most of the Platte River Basin upstream from Columbus has been designated as fully appropriated, and portions of the Platte River Basin upstream from Elm Creek has been designated as overappropriated. Much of the Nebraska Panhandle has been designated as fully appropriated. The DNR map below designates these areas as light areas.

The dark area of the map is the portion of Nebraska that will be reviewed by the DNR by January 1, 2006 to determine whether any of it should be designated as fully appropriated. Areas so designated will be closed to new surface water rights and new wells (major exceptions to the drilling ban include replacement wells, range livestock wells and wells up to 50 gallons per minute). This means as a practical matter that new areas designated by the DNR as being fully appropriated will be closed to the drilling of new municipal, irrigation and industrial wells.

In most cases it will rarely pay one farmer to purchase the ground water rights of another farmer to allow the buyer to irrigate. But in many cases cities and industries will be able to afford to purchase ground water rights from ground water irrigators if their need for water increases. This is common in most western states, but is a new water management option in Nebraska.

The buying and selling of surface water rights will be under the supervision of the DNR. While the DNR will not be involved in reviewing the prices paid for water, DNR approval will be required before surface water can be transferred to a new use. Purchasing surface water rights is most likely where increased streamflow is needed for either environmental purposes (such as endangered species protection) or e.g. to meet streamflow requirements to Kansas under the Republican River lawsuit settlement agreement. The DNR is working on administrative regulations for this water rights transfer process which should be available later this year.

Buying and selling ground water will be under the supervision of NRDs and NRD ground water management plans. NRDs, especially NRDs that are closed to new well drilling, will need to develop new regulations establishing a process to determine how ground water rights can be transferred from irrigation use to e.g. municipal and industrial use. Probably irrigators will only be able to sell the quantity of ground water that is consumed in crop production, not the total amount pumped.

How would ground water marketing work? Let’s take a couple of examples. In the first case, a town wants to increase its water supply to its residents. A farmer on the edge of town has an irrigation well that has the capacity and water quality to meet the city’s needs. The city would first need to negotiate with the farmer to purchase the well (or pumping rights, etc.). If the city and the farmer reached an agreement, they would then apply to the local NRD for a permit (or other NRD approval) to use the farmer’s irrigation water for city water supply. If the NRD approved the change in use, the city would need to build a pipeline or other distribution facilities, so that the water from the irrigation well could be supplied to the city’s residents.

In this first simplified example, no new well was drilled. Instead, the water from an existing well was transported for a different use at a new location.

In the second example, a city wants to drill a new well for municipal water supply purposes. In order to receive NRD permission to do so, the city must retire a certain amount of irrigation ground water use, so that net ground water use withdrawals do not increase. This could be accomplished e.g. by the NRD requiring that the city retire a specified number of irrigated acres from agricultural production. This might involve the city paying one or more irrigators to either shut down a well, or to reduce the number of acres irrigated from a well.

The NRD might establish geographic restrictions on where the irrigated acres are retired. For example, the NRD might require that the acres be retired within a specified distance of the new city well (3 miles, 10 miles, etc.). If the city could negotiate the payments to the ground water irrigators and the NRD approved the city’s plan, the city would have permission to develop the new city well.

In this second example, a new well was drilled but pumping from existing wells had to be stopped or reduced in order to accommodate the pumping from the new well.

These two examples illustrate the types of water marketing arrangements that may become more common in Nebraska within the near future. As NRDs modify their ground water management plans to deal with such possibilities, the public will have an opportunity to review and comment on any proposed water marketing regulations. As the examples illustrate, we clearly are embarking upon a new era in Nebraska water law and administration.

For more information, contact your local NRD or the DNR at http://www.dnr.state.ne.us/

Grant Money Helps Plug Abandoned Wells for Free

Groundwater supplies below eight area communities now have a lower risk of contamination, thanks to the efforts of some conscientious landowners and cost-share funds available through the South Platte NRD.

For many years, the NRD's Well Abandonment Program has paid 65 percent of the cost of plugging abandoned water wells. These unused wells, if not properly sealed and filled, are an easy path for contaminants such as sediment, bacteria and chemicals to reach the groundwater supply. They also pose a hazard to children or animals that could fall into larger wells.

Progress toward eliminating these problem wells took a big step forward in 2003 and 2004, thanks to Nebraska Environmental Trust Funds awarded to the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality (NDEQ). Through a cooperative agreement with NDEQ, the South Platte NRD was able to offer full funding to properly decommission wells in designated wellhead protection areas.

A wellhead protection area is simply an area around a community's well or well field in which pollutants might contaminate the groundwater, and where extensive contamination could render a groundwater well or well field unusable.

For the landowner in a wellhead protection area, the additional grant money meant they could have a contractor plug an abandoned well on their property for free.

In 2003-2004, a total of 41 wells in designated wellhead protection areas were abandoned with the help of these additional cost-share funds: Lodgepole – 11, Big Springs – 3, Chappell – 9, Dix – 6, Kimball – 1, Sidney – 8, Dalton – 2, Bushnell – 1.

Ken Quandt, South Platte NRD water resources coordinator, credited municipal staff in several of the communities with helping identify wells needing plugged.

Quandt said although the extra grant funding for wellhead protection areas has been used up, he's hopeful that more will be available from a new Environmental Trust grant after September. Meanwhile, 65 percent cost-share for abandoning wells remains available to residents in all locations across the district.

For maps showing the locations of wellhead protection areas in the South Platte NRD, click here.

Community Forestry Program Awards $17,830 for Tree Planting Projects

Exhibitors and other visitors to the Cheyenne County Fairgrounds in Sidney will be among the latest to enjoy the benefits of new trees installed with the help of the South Platte NRD Community Forestry Program.

A variety of tree species including bur oak, elm, hackberry and radiant crabapple will line the west edge of the fairgrounds in one of eight Community Forestry Program projects approved this year. The project calls for removing 33 old elms, many of which had died out over the years, and replacing them with 28 new trees. The trees will provide compartments for fair goers to park their campers and enjoy the shade, shelter and beauty they provide.

The Community Forestry Program provides 50 percent cost-share funding to urban homeowners, neighborhood groups, villages and cities to help pay for the cost of purchasing, planting, maintaining and removing trees. The applicant’s share can come from private funding, community grants, the community’s budget, or in many cases, donated labor.

Under the Community Forestry Program, applicants can often accomplish tree planting projects with in-kind donations and labor, and no out-of-pocket expenses.

The $2,150 grant awarded to the fairgrounds project was one of eight projects in the district to share $17,830 in available funding. Other grant recipients and amounts included Sullivan Hills Camp, Lodgepole-$630; Sidney Public Schools-$3,139; Panhandle Community Tree Rehab., Dix-$4,995; Gotte Park and City Park, Kimball-$1,087; Big Springs Tree Project-$3,160; Village of Potter residents-$2,050; and City of Sidney-$619.

In all, this year’s program helped residents remove 86 trees and plant 180 new ones across the district.

Is Your Irrigation Well Registered? Landowners Should Make Sure

Owners of irrigation wells need to check their records to make sure their wells are properly registered with the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources as state law requires. Records should also be checked for the correct legal description and current ownership. It is not uncommon to find wells that are not registered, registered in the wrong legal description, or that have had a change in ownership.

Properly registered wells are more important now than in the past. Unregistered wells do not appear in NRD records and if a permit is approved for a replacement well, spacing violations could occur. (Although a moratorium on all new wells is in place across the district, replacement wells are permitted.)

A newly constructed well must be drilled at least 600 feet from any existing registered irrigation well under separate ownership. Industrial and certain public water supply wells must be drilled at least 1,000 feet from any registered existing irrigation well.

It is better to check the registration of your wells now in order to avoid possible disputes later on. The South Platte NRD has copies of irrigation well registration information at the NRD office in Sidney, and would be glad to help well owners who want to check the status of their wells.

Well owners can also contact the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources for assistance at (402) 471-2362, or click here to go to their online registered wells database.

Incentive Raised to Forego Weed Control After Wheat Harvest

Increased incentives are available to wheat producers who alter their weed control practices to benefit habitat for wildlife.

The South Platte NRD Board of Directors has approved changes to the Wheat Stubble Management section of the WILD Nebraska program. The changes allow incentives of up to $7 per acre to benefit wildlife habitat.

The program provides incentives of $3 to $7 per acre, up to 250 acres per producer, for avoiding mechanical weed control and herbicide use on wheat stubble for various lengths of time after harvest. The stubble must be at least 12 inches high to qualify.

Previously, the per-acre incentive was capped at $5 per acre and stubble heights were set at a minimum of 15 inches. Also, a maximum enrollment of 1,000 acres per cooperator was dropped to 250 acres and a provision requiring public access for hunting and trapping on the enrolled acres was eliminated.

According to Galen Wittrock, assistant manager at the South Platte NRD, the program is designed to respond to a widespread deterioration of pheasant habitat like that provided by weedy wheat stubble. This type of habitat is disappearing largely because of increased herbicide use.

WILD Nebraska will pay producers $7 per acre for leaving 12-inch tall stubble from harvest until July 1 of the following year. Alternatively, a $3 per acre incentive is available for leaving 12-inch stubble from harvest to March 1.

Herbicide use is restricted in order to qualify for the incentives. A basic broadleaf burndown herbicide such as 2,4-D is allowed before May 15 of the growing season to control winter annual weeds. No pre-emergent herbicides or herbicides with carryover are allowed. After harvest, herbicides are allowed on stubble after Sept. 15. For chemical fallow purposes the following year, herbicides must be applied before April 15.

Increasing the stubble height left after harvest from 8 to 16 inches can increase pheasant use up to 10-fold, Wittrock said. Better pheasant habitat would be a big benefit especially in the Nebraska Panhandle, where drought conditions continue to pressure pheasant populations.

WILD Nebraska offers incentives through various other programs to create new wildlife habitat or to enhance, improve and maintain existing habitat. These programs include grassland establishment, grassland enhancement and grazing management, CRP enhancement, cropland enhancement, woodland establishment and enhancement, and wetland establishment and enhancement. For a complete listing of incentives and other details, click here or call the NRD at (308) 254-2377.

The deadline to apply for funds through WILD Nebraska is July 31. WILD Nebraska is a program offered jointly by the South Platte NRD and the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.

Pivot Conversion Program Proves Successful, Boosts Incentives

An incentive program to boost irrigation efficiency got a boost of its own recently, as officials announced improvements to attract more producers to the South Platte NRD Center Pivot Conversion Program.

Now in its third year, the program offers cost-share funds to help producers convert furrow-irrigated land to sprinkler irrigation, either by a center pivot or lateral move systems. Grant funding from the Nebraska Environmental Trust, utilizing Nebraska Lottery proceeds, made the program possible.

The goal of the pivot conversion program is to protect both groundwater quality and quantity. University of Nebraska research shows that by reducing the amount of irrigation water applied per acre, such conversions hold the greatest promise for limiting the leaching of agricultural chemicals into the groundwater supply.

The incentive to convert from furrow to sprinkler irrigation is now $97.75 per acre -- up from $80 previously --not to exceed 30 percent of the actual cost of the sprinkler system and installation. The program also provides 50 percent cost-share on up to 1,400 feet of underground pipe from the water source to the sprinkler, and on an attached irrigation flow meter. Cost-share is not available for improving a pump or electrical work.

According to Ken Quandt, NRD water resources coordinator, the cost-share adjustment reflects the rising cost of steel and other sprinkler system materials.

“This adjustment merely brings the program in line with the cost increases,” Quandt said, noting that the average cost of a new center pivot sprinkler has risen to about $41,000 to $46,000.

The Nebraska Environmental Trust has provided just over $200,000 to the program, which has helped producers install 22 sprinkler systems in the South Platte NRD since last year. The Trust has committed another $100,000 through the spring of 2006.

Since the program began, 1,910 acres have been converted from furrow to sprinkler irrigation, mainly in the South Platte River Valley near Big Springs. Projects in the Lodgepole Creek Valley scattered across the NRD have also received funding.

“We’ve seen some pretty significant reductions in nitrates in the groundwater below some of these fields,” Quandt said. “We know it’s having a very positive impact.”

Samples from one irrigation well east of Big Springs showed nitrates of 18 to 19 parts per million (ppm) from 1997 to 2001. After converting from furrow to sprinkler irrigation through the pivot conversion program, nitrate samples were 16.26 ppm in 2002, 14.65 ppm in 2003 and 12.05 ppm in 2004.

    For more information, contact Quandt at (308) 254-2377 or toll free at (877) 800-1030.

WANTED: Local weather watchers for NeRAIN

Volunteers are needed in Cheyenne, Deuel and Kimball counties to volunteer for a special project for studying the complex patterns of rain, hail and snow in Nebraska.

NeRAIN, (the Nebraska Rainfall Assessment and Information Network) is looking for volunteers – preferably with Internet access -- willing to report measurements of precipitation using high quality backyard rain gauges.

The 13 NRDs in the project area, which covers most of the state, received a $15,000 grant from the Nebraska Environmental Trust to purchase the rain gauges. Gauges will be provided to volunteers free of charge.

The project aims to include as many as 80 volunteers – one per township – in Cheyenne, Deuel and Kimball counties. To date, 30 volunteers are taking part in the South Platte NRD.

Sean Sutherland, water resources technician at the NRD, is the local NeRAIN coordinator.

“NeRAIN will make people more aware of the precipitation happening around the district, and everyone is curious about who’s getting rain and who isn’t,” Sutherland said. “Ultimately it will lead to more accurate weather forecasts, and it’s just fun and interesting to do.”

Sutherland is encouraging residents throughout the district to apply to participate in the program. Because the goal is to have a volunteer in each township in the district, the NRD will select from the applications based on geographic area. After the volunteers are selected, Sutherland provides a brief training session and provides the gauges.

Precipitation reports by volunteers will be transmitted via the Internet to the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources each day. Climate analysts will process the data and prepare detailed maps showing rainfall patterns. Scientists and water managers will study these maps to learn how storms develop and move across the region and to make water-use decisions.

NeRAIN information will be updated daily and available for public access on the web at http://dnrdata.dnr.ne.gov/NeRAIN/.

For more information or to volunteer, call the South Platte NRD at (308) 254-2377.

Federal funds help with flow meter projects

More help is on the way for producers installing irrigation flow meters in the South Platte NRD.

The Nebraska Department of Natural Resources has forwarded $100,000 in federal funds to bolster the NRD’s Irrigation Flow Meter cost share program. The program provides 50 percent cost share to producers installing the meters according to a phased-in schedule adopted by the NRD board in January.

Flow meters are a valuable tool for the producer to use in irrigation scheduling and for knowing how much water is being applied. The meters will also help the NRD gain new information on the amount of groundwater being used across the district.

The estimated cost and installation is about $1,000 per meter. The program pays 50 percent of the actual or average cost of the meter and installation, up to $800.

Since the program began in January, 145 cooperators, mostly in Cheyenne County, have taken advantage of a combination of federal, state and NRD cost share funds.

“We’re off to a running start on getting meters on the nearly 1,200 irrigation and other wells across the district,” said SPNRD Water Resources Coordinator Ken Quandt. “These new funds add to our options for helping producers pay for these projects.”

The new funding is made available under the Reclamation States Emergency Drought Relief Act of 1991.

According to rules established by the NRD board in January, all wells in the Lodgepole Creek Integrated Ground Water Management Area in Cheyenne County that pump 50 gallons per minute or more must have meters by March 1, 2005. For the remainder of the county, meters must be installed on half of each landowner’s wells by March 1, 2007, and the rest by March 1, 2008.

In Kimball County within the Lodgepole Creek Integrated Groundwater Management Area, meters must be installed on half of each landowner’s wells by March 1, 2005, and on the second half by March 1, 2006. For the rest of the county, half of each landowner’s wells must be metered by March 1, 2008, and the rest by March 1, 2009.

Meters must be installed on half of each landowner’s wells in the Lodgepole Creek Integrated Groundwater Management Area in Deuel County by March 1, 2006, and on the second half by March 1, 2007. Finally, all wells across the rest of Deuel County must be metered by March 1, 2009. For a map detailing the flow meter installation schedule, click here.

The meters must be installed by a contractors certified by the South Platte NRD. Meters approved for the program include those manufactured by McCrometer, Sparling and EMCO companies.

For more information on the South Platte NRD Flow Meter Program, click here.

Groundwater Management: Where We've Been, Where We're Going

This sort of thing isn’t supposed to happen here in western Nebraska.

Normally at this time of year, corn producers are looking toward to harvest, figuring out the best timing for their center pivot’s last trip around the field. Dry land farmers are looking forward to planting next year’s wheat crop, not too concerned whether they’ll be planting into adequate soil moisture. Folks in town are watching the neighbor kids in a game of touch football out on the lawn—or several adjoining lawns, as the case may be—and not really worrying whether the grass will be able to bounce back from the added stress.

This year, however, this unprecedented drought has forced everyone—urban and rural residents alike—to adjust from the normal routine and rethink how they use and can conserve something that not long ago seemed to have an unlimited supply.