ART HOVEY / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Wednesday, August 10, 2005 7:00 pm
FREMONT Faced with the probability of stiff state irrigation restrictions in eastern Nebraska as soon as next year, Dave Svoboda of Columbus and Kirk Kavan of North Bend were among almost 500 farmers perched uneasily on their chairs here Wednesday night.
Because of drought and heavy pumping, the state Department of Natural Resources is likely to declare irrigated areas west and north of Lincoln fully appropriated at some point before Jan. 1.
That means no new irrigation wells, no new irrigated acres. And it could easily apply to the Upper Big Blue Natural Resources District, based in York and one of the most irrigation-dependent areas in the state.
Columbus farmer Svoboda arrived at a water policy forum at the Fremont City Auditorium wondering what form restriction will take and uncertain of the wisdom of state action.
"I lean toward yes, but it's kind of iffy," he said. His attitude "depends on what decisions are made, if there will be some common sense on how much we can use."
To protect himself against an uncertain future, Svoboda recently had three more wells drilled on land he farms.
North Bend farmer Kavan also sees merit in more aggressive water management. "We used to think we had an unlimited amount of groundwater," he said. "Now we're starting to realize it isn't unlimited."
Natural Resources Director Roger Patterson gained the authority to impose water conservation measures with the passage of LB962 in 2004.
The Legislature acted amid growing concern about the depleting effects of groundwater use on rivers and streams and about the future availability of water for agriculture, as well as municipal and industrial customers.
State Sen. Chris Langemeier of Schuyler moderated a Wednesday educational event organized by three natural resources districts, the Lower Platte North based in Wahoo, the Lower Platte South based in Lincoln and the Papio-Missouri River NRD based in Omaha.
Sought out beforehand, Langemeier called LB962 a step in the right direction for dealing with water concerns in Nebraska.
John Miyoshi of Lower Platte North said farmers in the Wahoo area are "really gritting their teeth. And basically what it does is stop any (irrigation) development."
Before stepping to the podium, Patterson wasn't ready to make a prediction about how much farther east water restrictions will move by Jan. 1.
A key step toward those decisions will come in Kearney today, as water policy makers sit down to look at proposed criteria.
One of the most important yardsticks will be determining the degree of hydrologic connection between surface and groundwater, Patterson said, as he addressed his audience later.
If a standard of 28/40 is chosen, for example, the fully appropriated area would be everything inside a line where 28 percent of the water used by a well over 40 years of pumping is determined to be coming from surface sources.
Dave Cookson, another Wednesday speaker and special counsel on water matters to Attorney General Jon Bruning, said one objective of LB962 is to spend the state's limited financial resources on long-term water solutions.
The unappealing alternative, Cookson said, is "the surface water people hire their lawyers, the groundwater people hire their lawyers, and the only people who come out good are the lawyers."
Ann Bleed, who will replace Patterson when he leaves state government on Aug. 19, said the law will not end water development in Nebraska. Water transfers in which, for example, the city of Fremont could buy the rights to a farmer's irrigation well, are one possibility.
"Development can and will and should continue," Bleed said.
But Travis Freund, part of a Fremont dealership that sells irrigation equipment, voiced reservations about where Nebraska water policy is headed.
Eastern Nebraska irrigators will never face water problems as severe as those farther west, Freund said.
No matter what, he sees a need for a time line for water regulation. "That's a very gray area for all our customers, not knowing what they can do, what they can't do and when they can or can't do it."
Reach Art Hovey at (402) 523-4949 or ahovey@alltel.net.