March 30, 2016 at 5:00 PM - Water Committee Meeting
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1. REGULATORY
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1.A. GROUND WATER MANAGEMENT AREA
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1.A.1. Variance Request in the Hydrologically Connected Area (Limited Development Area)
Rationale:
No new updates.
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1.A.2. Variance Requests in the Non-Hydrologically Connected Area (Normal Development Area)
Rationale:
No new updates.
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1.A.3. Variance Requests in the Restricted Development Areas
Rationale:
No new updates.
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1.A.4. Well Permit Program
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1.A.4.a. Well Permits Approved
Rationale:
Wells Permits Approved: Schomer approved 2 well permits since the last Committee meeting.
The total number of approved permits for 2016 is 3. Location of Approved Well Permits for 2016: Correct as of 3/30/2016
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1.A.5. Irrigation Transfer Request
Rationale:
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1.A.5.a. Noonan Family Trust Irrigation Transfer Request to Mohrman Trust
Rationale:
Proposed Transfer Between Noonan Family Trust and Earl Dean Mohrman Trust – Larry Mohrman Trustee: Larry Mohrman contacted LPNNRD in February of 2016 to ask about transferring acres from the ground he farms for Noonan Family Trust to his brother’s ground Earl Dean Mohrman Trust. If allowed, Mr. Mohrman would cease gravity irrigation on the Noonan ground, install a pivot on the west portion of the Noonan ground and pick up a portion of the Mohrman ground as part of the pivot swing. The Mohrman ground would gain an additional 9.34 acres of irrigation in the NE1/4, Section 25, T19N, R3W. The transferable acres from the Noonan ground amount to 5.28 acres in the N1/2, Section 30, T19N, RW and shown in the attached map. The leftover 4.06 acres falls within the 4.9 allowance LPN has traditionally granted for Acre Certification and Variances (both tracts have prior irrigation and have been certified, this would be an additional 4.06 to Morhman). Chris Poole says that, coupled with the water savings from upgrading from gravity to center pivot irrigation make this a desirable transfer for LPNNRD. All parties between the Noonan and Mohrman Trusts are amenable to the transfer, therefore they are seeking approval from LPNNRD to allow the transfer of 5.28 acres from Noonan Trust to Mohrman Trust and allow the additional 4.06 acres of pivot irrigation on the Mohrman ground. Both properties are in the Middle Shell Creek subarea. Please see the attached map for further clarification.
Recommended Motion(s):
To approve the transfer of 5.28 certified irrigated acres from the N1/2, Section 30, T19N, R2W, of the Middle Shell Creek subarea owned by the Noonan Family Trust to the Earl Dean Mohrman Trust land in the NE1/4 of Section 25, T19N, R3W also in the Middle Shell Creek subarea and allow additional acres to be developed to complete the pivot circle for a total of 9.34 acres as shown in the attached map Passed with a motion by Board Member #1 and a second by Board Member #2.
Attachments:
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1.A.5.b. Mark Jenny Transfer Question
Rationale:
Mark Jenny contacted the LPNNRD office on 3/29/2016 regarding a transfer of certified irrigated acres. Mr. Jenny would like the Water Committee to discuss the idea of transferring 29.8 certified irrigated acres from 9-18N-2W Platte County, Platte Center Subarea to an unspecified field in the Lower Loup NRD. He is not looking for a decision on the matter at this time. Water Committee members discussed that at the present time a transfer of acres to the Lower Loup NRD is unlikely, however after water banking is established in the entire Lower Platte River Basin, such a transfer may be possible.
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1.A.6. Special Quantity Subareas
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1.A.6.a. LPNNRD SQS Operator Certification Classes
Rationale:
Platte - Colfax SQS area (SQS #2) All three of the informational classes for this area have been held. The last scheduled class was yesterday afternoon (March 29, 2016).
Some of these attendees were at more than one class. Most of the attendees neglected to bring their well registration number(s) to the class so cross-referencing for the correct operator for each well may take longer. This cross checking is necessary to see if anyone still has not attended at least one of these classes, and therefore determine if a fourth class at our office is necessary. A total of 293 letters were mailed to producers, landowners, and tenants (mailing address information from the Acres Certification database). There are 300 registered high capacity wells in this SQS area. Updated information was presented such as new approved list of meters, State of Nebraska requirements for backflow prevention, and one solution to limited space for installation of a flow meter (see attached document). All of this new information will be mailed to all producers in both SQS areas.
Attachments:
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1.A.7. Lower Platte River Basin Water Management Plan Coalition (LPRBC)
Rationale:
The next Technical meeting of the LPRBC has been set for Wednesday May 4, 2016 in Ord at LLNRD. This is the same day as our Spring Conservation Sensation. Topics and agenda have not yet been finalized.
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1.A.8. Voluntary Integrated Water Management Plan - LENRD and LPNNRD
Rationale:
No new update.
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1.A.9. LPNNRD Certification
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1.A.9.a. LPNNRD Operator Certification Classes
Rationale:
LPNNRD On Line Certification Five on-line test requests have been made in March. Three on-line tests were completed and one decided to attend the class on March 3rd.
LPNNRD Certification Classes With the last class completed (March 29, 2016), the twelve classes for 2016 have been completed:
In early December 2015 the class schedule for the 2016 classes were mailed to:
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1.B. CHEMIGATION
Rationale:
For 2015 we had a total of 515 active chemigation permits. Renewal forms were mailed out in mid-March and so far we have received 112 renewals. We have also received 4 new permit applications. The breakdown, by county for the 112 renewals, are listed below:
The renewal deadline in June 1st. |
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1.C. LIVESTOCK WASTE PERMITS
Rationale:
No new livestock permit applications from DEQ since the last Water Committee meeting.
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2. GROUND WATER PROGRAMS
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2.A. DECOMMISSIONED WELL PROGRAM
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2.A.1. Well Estimates
Rationale:
No new wells have been reviewed or approved by Gottschalk for decommissioning since the last Committee meeting. |
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2.A.2. Plugged Wells
Rationale:
No wells are ready for cost share payment this month. So far it has been a slow year for decommissioned well payments. The summary is below:
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2.B. LOWER PLATTE NORTH NRD GROUND WATER STUDIES
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2.B.1. Elkhorn Loup Model (ELM)
Rationale:
Steve Peterson of USGS will visit our office in mid April to install portions of the ELM ground water model on our network. This will overlap into our Shell Creek watershed.
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2.B.2. Eastern Nebraska Water Resources Assessment (ENWRA)
Rationale:
Katie Cameron, ENWRA coordinator, has sampled the deep test holes and monitoring wells the COE is installing as part of their clean up efforts at the Former Ordnance Plant near Mead. The COE is sampling for explosives and TCE in the bedrock to see if these contaminants have gone deeper into the Dakota. Previous efforts focused on the upper portion of the Dakota. ENWRA is interested in the general water quality of the Dakota since this maybe a usable aquifer in the future. ENWRA has applied to the WSF for more water quality testing of the Dakota at several locations across eastern Nebraska. We should know by the end of April if this grant is approved. Also by the end of April we should know if the grant request to WSF for the AEM flights will be approved or not. ENWRA is also looking at the installation of monitoring wells in several of the eastern NRD's: LPN, LPS, LE, Papio, and Nemaha. A well driller will be hired to drill these wells at test hole sites already completed by C&SD.
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2.C. NEW MONITORING WELLS
Rationale:
Attached is the amended agreement with the C&SD and ENWRA to install three monitoring wells in our District at a cost of $44,600. Two monitoring wells would be installed in the North Bend Subarea, east of the Fremont Cutoff Ditch. This area has a bedrock high and therefore the aquifer is very thin in this area. One well would be installed in the shallow sand and gravel aquifer (~25 to 35 feet deep) and the other in the Dakota sandstone (~300 feet deep). See attached sheet. The third monitoring well would be installed in the Prague subarea and this well would also be in the Dakota sandstone but ~500 feet deep. See attached sheet. The test holes originally scheduled to be drilled this fiscal year will be postponed until the fall of 2016. For FY15-16 we budgeted $36,000 for monitoring wells and $25,000 for test holes for a total of $61,000.
Recommended Motion(s):
To approve and authorize signing "Amendment #1 to the Cooperative Agreement signed June 24, 2015" with UNL Conservation and Survey for three monitoring wells at a cost of $44,600 Passed with a motion by Board Member #1 and a second by Board Member #2.
Attachments:
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2.D. GROUND WATER ENERGY LEVELS
Rationale:
Staff began collecting our Spring readings on Tuesday, March 22nd. The Uplands, Todd Valley, and Wann Basin areas are completed. Weather-permitting the Platte Valley should be completed this week with Shell Creek scheduled for the week of April 4th to the 8th. Preliminary, the water levels are up, which was both anticipated and hoped for with the shorter irrigation season and abundance of precipitation in 2015.
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3. OTHER
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3.A. GMDA ANNUAL CONFERENCE
Rationale:
The Summer Session for GMDA will be in Yakima WA on June 29 to July 1, 2016. The Central Colorado Conservancy District is organizing the event.
The budget summary for the GMDA Sacramento Conference is below:
Therefore we need to send a check to GMDA for $13,486.52 (see attached sheet for details).
Recommended Motion(s):
To approve sending the profit of $13,486.52 from the GMDA Winter Session to GMDA Passed with a motion by Board Member #1 and a second by Board Member #2.
Attachments:
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3.B. SUMMER INTERNS
Rationale:
Russ Oaklund and Bob Heimann have been reviewing applications for 2016 LPNNRD summer intern positions. Interview for two of the applicants has been scheduled for tomorrow. So far the applications received haven’t been too good.
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3.C. COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC
Rationale:
Director Kavan stated that in the past eight years 10 new irrigation wells have been installed within one mile of him and he is concerned about all of them running out of water. Chairman John Hannah and Mary Wotipka were also in attendance. The Water Committee adjourned at 6:35 pm. |
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