December 29, 2015 at 5:00 PM - Water Committee Meeting

Rationale:  No new updates.

Rationale:  No new applications have been received. The District is awaiting new well applications on 6 approved variances for new wells. The dead line for well applications is January 10th 2016.

Rationale:  No new updates.

Rationale:  No new updates.

Rationale: 

Wells Permits Approved: 5

Landowner	Number of Wells	Number of New Irrigated Acres	Type of Well	County	Subarea
Robert Meduna Jr.	1	70	Irrigation	Saunders	Todd Valley
Ryan Tessendorf	1	135	Irrigation	Platte	Lower Shell Creek
Mark Miller	1	130	Irrigation	Madison	Upper Newman Grove
AM JJ Investments LLC	1	0	Irrigation/Supplemental	Colfax	Schuyler
Dean Novak	1	0	Irrigation/Supplemental	Colfax	Schuyler

 

 

 

 

The total number of approved permits for 2015 is 48
Location of Approved Well Permits for 2015:  

Correct as of 12/29/2015

County	Irrigation - New	Irrigation - Replacement	Stock	Commercial	Municipal	Other	Total
Butler	2	2	1	0	0	0	5
Colfax	3	3	1	0	0	0	7
Dodge	3	3	0	0	0	0	6
Boone	1	2	0	0	0	0	3
Madison	2	0	0	0	0	0	2
Platte	7	2	1	0	0	0	10
Saunders	7	3	0	1	0	4	15
Total	25	15	3	1	0	4	48

 

 

 

 

Rationale:  John Sanderson has applied for a new well to supplement his irrigation in the SW 1/4 of Section 14-T16N-R7E in Saunders County, Todd Valley Subarea. Well G-035186 is currently running two pivots that irrigate 308 acres. The new well will irrigate 156 acres in the SW 1/4 of the section. Attached is a map of the section as well as a submitted test hole drilled by AWS.

Rationale: 

Ron Sladky is requesting a transfer of 80 certified irrigated acres from the Hydrologically Connected Area (HCA) to the Restricted Development Area (RDA).  The existing well that will be used is in the HCA.  This was discussed at the Board Meeting on December 14, 2015 and sent back to the Water Committee for further review.  Ron Sladky attended to discuss the transfer.

The certified irrigated acres to be transferred are located in the following sections*:

-24.7 Acres in the NW 1/4 SW 1/4; and NW 1/4 of Section 15-T14N-R7E Saunders County, Weston Subarea

-32.9 Acres in the NW 1/4 NE 1/4 of Section 15-T14N-R7E Saunders County, Todd Valley Subarea

-22.4 Acres in the NW 1/4 NW 1/4 of Section 14-T14N-R7E Saunders County, Todd Valley Subarea (surface water)

*-Rose Colored on map

 

The 80 acres will be transferred to two fields in the following legal description**:

-22.1 Acres in the SW 1/4 NE 1/4 of Section 15-T14N-R7E Saunders County, Swedeburg Subarea

-57.9 Acres in the W 1/2 SE 1/4 of Section 15-T14N-R7E Saunders County, Swedeburg Subarea

**-Green Colored in map

 

The well that will be used (G-051467) is in the SE 1/4 NW 1/4 of Section 15-T14N-R7E Saunders County, Weston Subarea. The attached map shows the location of the above listed legal descriptions.

All of these acres are LPNNRD Certified as irrigated, meaning they met our requirements when certified. 

Sladky was present at the committee meeting and stated that all of the acres in question had been irrigated and met our irrigation requirements.

Rationale: 

Three informational classes have been set.  Each of these classes will be held at Ag Park, Columbus:

1. Thursday, January 14, 2016, at 10:00 a.m.  (prior to afternoon certification class)
2. Thursday, February 11, 2016, at 1:30 p.m.
3. Tuesday, March 29, 2016, at 3:00 p.m.  (prior to evening certification class)

Rationale: 

Staff have obtained information from McCrometer on their new Mag-meter.  Full pipe flow is required with a minimum of three pipe diameters upstream and one pipe diameter downstream.  Normal battery life is 3 to 5 years.

Still waiting on information from Lindsey Manufacturing.

 

Rationale: 

The scheduled technical meeting for December has been delayed until January since this will be after the DNR has had time to finish their annual review of basin water appropriations.

 

Rationale: 

332 kits have been mailed out (seven of these in December).  Eight water samples were collected in December; two of which were collected last week and taken to the lab.  All results have been received and mailed to producers.

 

Rationale: 

Angle is working on a grant request to the Water Sustainability Fund (WSF) for a cost share program for irrigation well flow meters. This will be for wells in the Platte-Colfax SQS area.  The application was due and submitted on Wednesday December 30, 2015.  

 

Rationale: 

 2015 is the thirteenth year for this Phase 2 Area.  Earlier this year this area was reduced from 32 sections to 21 sections - to be in compliance with Section G Ground Water Quality Management Area - Phase Two Rule 1 Criteria.  Three water samples were collected in December.

Year	Nitrate-nitrogen Range	Percent Nitrate-nitrogen 0 to 8.0 ppm	Percent Nitrate-nitrogen 8.01 to 10.00 ppm	Percent Nitrate-nitrogen greater than 10 ppm
2004	0 to 25 ppm	46.3% (44 of 95)	8.4% (8 of 95)	45.3% (43 of 95)
2005	0 to 25 ppm	47% (44 of 94)	15% (14 of 94)	38% (36 of 94)
2006	0 to 24 ppm	41% (29 of 71)	14% (10 of 71)	45% (32 of 71)
2007	0 to 31 ppm	48% (48 of 100)	9% (9 of 100)	43% (43 of 100)
2008	0 to 28 ppm	53.75% (43 of 80)	7.5% (6 of 80)	38.75% (31 of 80)
2009	0 to 22 ppm	45.5% (41 of 90)	15.5% (14 of 90)	39% (35 of 90)
2010	0 to 35.7 ppm	48.65% (54 of 111)	11.71% (13 of 111)	39.64% (44 of 111)
2011	0 to 26.6 ppm	51% (56 of 110)	6% (7 of 110)	43% (47 of 110)
2012	0 to 28.9 ppm	57% (61 of 107)	9% (10 of 107)	34% (36 of 107)
2013	0 to 25.8 ppm	50% (53 of 107)	9% (10 of 107)	41% (44 of 107)
2014	0 to 22.3 ppm	51% (55 of 108)	13% (14 of 108)	36% (39 of 108)
2015	0 to 32.3 ppm	43% (31 of 72)	8% (6 of 72)	49% (35 of 72)

33 Fertilizer Reports for the 2015 crop year have been received.  For the 2014 crop year 211 Fertilizer Reports were received.

Rationale: 

2015 is the twelfth year of this Phase 2 Area.  The 55 sections of this area went into a Phase 3 Area to be in compliance with Section H Ground Water Quality Management Area - Phase Three Rule 1 Phase Three Criteria, effective September 1, 2015.  Five water samples were collected in December.

 

Year	Nitrate-nitrogen Range	Percent Nitrate-nitrogen 0 to 8.0 ppm	Percent Nitrate-nitrogen 8.01 to 10.00 ppm	Percent Nitrate-nitrogen greater than 10 ppm
2004	0 to 47 ppm	30% (42 of 139)	10% (14 of 139)	60% (83 of 139)
2005	0 to 120 ppm	31.3% (74 of 236)	10.2% (24 of 236)	58.5% (138 of 236)
2006	0 to 53 ppm	28% (50 of 181)	14% (26 of 181)	58% (105 of 181)
2007	0 to 99 ppm	32% (75 of 231)	10% (22 of 231)	58% (134 of 227)
2008	0 to 46 ppm	28% (53 of 190)	12% (23 of 190)	60% (114 of 190)
2009	0 to 57 ppm	33% (72 of 216)	6% (13 of 216)	61% (131 of 216)
2010	0 to 57.5 ppm	31% (70 of 229)	7% (15 of 229)	62% (142 of 229)
2011	0 to 65.8 ppm	28% (67 of 241)	9% (21 of 241)	63% (153 of 241)
2012	0 to 52.6 ppm	29% (70 of 241)	9% (21 of 241)	62% (150 of 241)
2013	0 to 94.0 ppm	25% (63 of 252)	9% (23 of 252)	66% (166 of 252)
2014	0 to 101.0 ppm	27% (68 of 251)	9% (22 of 251)	64% (161 of 251)
2015	0 to 53.3 ppm	23% (55 of 238)	12% (29 of 238)	65% (154 of 238)

392 Fertilizer Reports for the 2015 crop year have been received.  For the 2014 crop year 406 Fertilizer Reports were received.

 

Rationale: 

Three on-line test requests have been received in December.  Four tests were completed and a certification card was mailed to: 

Cert #	Cert date	Name	Re-cert	Comments
6528	12/3/2015	Steve Callahan	Yes
6529	12/7/2015	Beau Klug	Yes
6530	12/11/2015	Carl Grotelueschen	Yes
6531	12/29/2015	Bryan Kaspar	Yes

 

Staff met with UNL County Extension Educators on November 23^rd to work out the class schedule for 2016.  Michael Rethwisch, UNL Extension Educator for Butler County, has had health issues.  Since the last committee meeting Oaklund and Rethwisch have arranged for an additional meeting in March.     

[the modified class schedule is attachment]

Rationale: 

No new updates.

 

Rationale: 

The LPNNRD has received one livestock permit modification from DEQ since the last Water Committee meeting. The modification is four additional fields that will receive manure applications from the Janssen Nursery swine operation in Platte County.

Rationale: 

No new wells have been reviewed or approved by Gottschalk for decommissioning since the last Committee meeting.

 

Rationale:  Three wells have been plugged, reviewed, and ready for cost share payment approval this month.

Well Owner	Type of Well	Cost Share Estimate	County
Tom Christopherson	5" Domestic	$643.88	Saunders
Maynard Flamme	Irrigation	$543.93	Dodge
Tom Kasik	Domestic	$319.83	Colfax

Rationale:  Two grant requests are being submitted to the Water Sustainability Fund (WSF) from ENWRA.  One deals with water quality sampling of the bedrock aquifers in eastern Nebraska and the other one will look at additional AEM flights.  LPNNRD is looking to do additional flights in the Platte-Colfax SQS (top priority) and the Bulter-Saunders SQS area (secondary priority).  

Rationale:  Received an invoice from Olsson Associates for their review of the ground water model that was submitted by the COE as part of their class 4 well permit request for a new containment well.  This was for the ground water cleanup at the Former Ordnance Plant near Mead (invoice is attached).  Need motion to approve.

Rationale:  Ron Sladky attended the Water Committee to discuss his transfer requests of acres.

Rationale: 

GMDA annual conference is next week in Sacramento CA.  Newspaper article in today's Omaha World Herald about subsidence in the San Joaquin Valley due to heavy ground water pumping.