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NRD wants metering for large irrigation wells

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BY ALGIS J. LAUKAITIS / Lincoln Journal Star

Friday, Nov 23, 2007 - 11:37:36 am CST

Irrigators in several Southeast Nebraska counties could be required to install meters on large-capacity wells over the next two years.

Mandatory metering is one of several proposals the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District is considering as part of an update of its groundwater rules and regulations, said assistant general manager Paul Zillig.

The district plans to hold a public hearing on the proposals in the next 60 days, but no date has been set.

The Lower Platte South NRD includes most of Lancaster and Cass  and parts of Saunders, Butler Seward and Otoe counties.

About 750 registered wells could be affected by the meter requirement, Zillig said. Under the proposal, the district would pay about half of the $300 to $500 cost per meter.

“We haven’t updated our rules and regulations since they were first adopted in the early 1990s,” he said, “and there have been some changes in the law since then.”

 Under Nebraska law, the state’s 23 natural resources districts are responsible for managing groundwater resources within their respective boundaries.

Here is a brief summary of the proposed changes:

* Require meters by Jan. 30, 2010, on existing registered wells that can pump more than 50 gallons per minute.

* Certify all acres irrigated by groundwater by Jan. 1, 2009. Those acres would be verified using county assessor records.

* Require additional information before approving new well permits, including a well log, static water level, 24-hour pump test and water quality tests.

* Require detailed studies to determine impact of new high-capacity wells on neighboring landowners.

* Limit excessive watering of plants/lawns from domestic wells. The change is aimed mostly at orchards and nurseries to encourage conservation.

* Establish a procedure for investigating salt water intrusion. Zillig said a landowner who wants to put in a deep well could pull in brackish water into a healthy aquifer, potentially harming neighboring domestic wells.

* Allow groundwater transfers for domestic or municipal use but ban such transfers for environmental, recreational, agricultural and industrial uses.

Reach Algis J. Laukaitis at473-7243 or alaukaitis@journalstar.com.  


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over 60 wrote on November 23, 2007 1:49 pm:
" In New Mexico even if you own your own home use well it's regulated. You are allowed so much water for usage and after you hit that , you have to pay for any extra. Now remember this is for your own household use or garden. Think about this because this may be your future. When rains slow or stop and water becomes gold nebraskans may be in store for this kind of thing. "

 L wrote on November 23, 2007 3:19 pm:
" Unbelievable this hasn't been done before. Note that the NRD isn't even trying to regulate irrigation use, just meter it. Can't wait for the farmers' griping to begin. "

 K wrote on November 23, 2007 3:49 pm:
" About time. Way past due. "

 whatever wrote on November 23, 2007 5:01 pm:
" The times are a changing. The days of "drilling and watering" whenever and whatever amount you want are over. This is an ideal NRD to get something like this rolling. You have urban areas, traditional crops/farming, vineyards, orchards and acreages all in relative great abundance. I think the statistics of water use will be quite interesting. "

 a little late wrote on November 23, 2007 6:42 pm:
" Wow, a little late don't you think? The fox is in charge of the hen house. "

 Doug wrote on November 24, 2007 3:18 am:
" Obviously "a little late" is uninformed about the election districts for the NRD Lower Platte South. He or she has a vote to select the people on this Board and the urban population has the majority of the votes. Don't worry about Nebraska farmers using "your" water. A national water policy is coming and "our" water is headed south....literally. This state needs a very specific law that prohibits any one from transferring water across the state line for any reason. If people want to build where there is no water Nebraska resources shouldn't be confiscated to bail them out. When they run out of water they are welco0me to come build here and stimulate growth and tax base for the Nebraska economy and taxpayers. "

 Douglas Novak wrote on November 24, 2007 3:49 am:
" Griping about farmers that are going to be griping does not reveal clear thinking. Has any one posting here spoken to their elected NRD Board member? Do you know who that person is? What is your ground water policy? Does your elected rep know? Seems to me like the NRD is very quick to spend $300 for the owner of the well. I think the funding for this new program/rule/regulation should come directly from the general account of the NRD. If it is "our" water than "we" should invest to manage it. Just another hit on the property taxes. I just love the way this state spends money. If we are going to put the meters on the wells quit pretending it is for monitoring. Ulitmately the monitoring will be for restricting use so let's get right to the point. Do we want massive overproduction of agricultural grains and beans so we can continue with the least expensive food in the world, or not? Do we want the grainery full of cheap corn while we wonder if the water tap is going ot run dry? Where are the statistics that tell us there is any problem at all? Who's well went dry and how do we know it is the fault of another well in close proximity? For what reason do we need to "monitor" all the wells? I suggest the NRD select half the wells and pay for 100% of the cost as opposed to all the wells and pay for 50%. How many permenant employee monitors are we going to add to the property tax budget? I don't live or own property in the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District but I'll bet there are enough municipal wells in the District that could be monitored and provide good statistical information without spending $300 to $500 on every well in the Distict. Residents of the District: They have your checkbook in hand! Speak up or pay up. "

 Hjalmer wrote on November 24, 2007 6:44 am:
" It's way past time for this to happen. I'm in a a water short area, but the pivots are going up and my home water supply is now in danger so my neighbors can grow a few more bushels of corn. "

 10 wrote on November 24, 2007 7:18 am:
" Nebraska pumps 10 "big Mac's" a year from under the ground. The statistics won't lie but your NRD will. Nothing will be done except your taxes will go up to pay for the meters, the irrigating pivot corners, and these wonderful NRD irrigation meetings. The meetings are where the irrigators blame the public for using about 6 percent of the water and they get a free pass. "

 whatever wrote on November 24, 2007 3:07 pm:
" As the family farm passes into the sunset, "Big Agribusiness" and the "Water Interests" from out of state and abroad will tie up the water supply in Nebraska. Efforts have been made to ship it out of state before and those efforts will come again in a big way. In spite of the overwhelming urban population in this state, water rights will continue to drift to the control of a very few individuals and corporations. There's a reason many of our ranches and farms have been purchased by big monied interests over the last 10 to 15 years, but it's largely been ignored by the media and the citizens of this state who believe things will "always be the way they have been.". You can also count on the proliferation of acreage owners with private wells going by the wayside. Rural water districts in all areas of the state are the wave of the future and will dictate where "rural" folk will live. In fact it's already happening. It's an issue the JS has written on indirectly over the last year or two without the JS really knowing that's what it is writing about. "

 Elmer wrote on November 24, 2007 3:40 pm:
" Someone is complaining about the cost of meters and meter readers? Who have GOT to be kidding me! If that is the kind of shortsighted thinking that is going on in this state, no wonder we have so many problems. What kind of strategy leaves our most valuable resource up to guesswork and voluntary reporting of how much is being taken out? "

 Dirk wrote on November 24, 2007 6:50 pm:
" I, for one, do not want "massive overproduction of agricultural grains and beans so we can continue with the least expensive food in the world" at the expense of poor management decisions. I purchase almost all of my food from small local producers and organic farmers. I, and many other Nebraskans, are willing to pay jut a little bit more for our groceries if we know there is some thought about the future of our planet put into the practices used to raise that food. As leaders in agriculture, Nebraskans should be embracing this metering effort to bring in more information about how much water actually is being used to raise corn that is being turned into the "cheap" high-fructose corn syrup that we end put paying for at the doctors office through obesity-related health problems. Ethanol production will only increase water usage, so the sooner we get a handle in the problem now the better. "

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