February 1, 2023 at 6:00 PM - Water Committee Meeting

Rationale:  Bob Hilger was nominated for Chairman.
Billl Saeger was nominated to be Vice-Chair.

Rationale:  Norman Kavan Jr. submitted an application for a second well in S32-T16N-R8E Saunders County, Todd Valley. The current well, G-052570, irrigates two pivots totaling 178.3 acres (see attached map). The new well will irrigate approximately 100 acres

Rationale:  The University of Nebraska applied for a second well in the NE SW Section 18-14N-9E, Saunders County.  This well will assist Well G-087929.  This agenda item was not acted on at the November Water Committee Meeting and December Board Meeting, until more information was provided.  

Information attached with UNL personnel at Committee meeting to discuss.  

Rationale:  Schuyler Department of Utilities has submitted two applications for new Public Water Supply wells. These wells will replace the capacity lost from the two wells they decommissioned south of town due to contamination issues.

Rationale: 

Wells Permits Approved: #

Landowner	Number of Wells	Number of New Irrigated Acres	Type of Well	County	Subarea
UNL	1	0	Irrigation	Saunders	Todd Valley

 

 

 

 

 

 

The total number of approved permits for 2022 is #

Location of Approved Well Permits for 2022:  Correct as of ####

County	Irrigation - New	Irrigation - Replacement	Stock	Commercial	Municipal	Other	Total
Butler
Colfax
Dodge
Boone
Madison
Platte
Saunders
Total

 

Rationale:  Staff met with NRCS soil specialists to discuss the way soil classification is used in LPNNRD Variance Scoring. Staff showed the Committee new soil classification information which would be utilized for the 2023 scoring process.  
Attachment.

Rationale:  Attached is Duane Johnson Irrigation Transfer Request.

With the adoption of the most recent data available, the Duane Johnson transfer to the NE 1/4 of S25-14-7E, Saunders County was reranked and has met the minimum threshold of 300 points for application consideration. Mr. Johnson has applied for, and been approved, to irrigate 35 acres in the NW 1/4 of S25-14-7E.

Motion from November Board Meeting:

Approval of the transfer for Duane and Kelli Johnson from Annette Rogers for the NRD certified acres of 65.51 with the stipulation that the West Pivot can be developed and the East Pivot on hold until staff can re-evaluate the scoring system for the soil type with a NRCS soil scientist before the Board Meeting.   

Rationale:  LPN received two RFQs and will be making a recommendation at the Committee Meeting.  
The Selection Committee of LPN staff reviewed the proposals of LRE and HDR.  Both firms are very capable of doing the project with excellent RFQs. The Selection Committee recommends LRE to conduct the Hyrological Assessment Database.  This project is for a maximum of $56,000, of which 60% will be funded though a WSF grant.  

Rationale:  Topic: District Approved flow meter list

Discussion: In the Lower Platte North Natural Resource District there are 4500+ irrigation wells. Currently, less than 1200 irrigation wells are metered. Overall, irrigation accounts for over 90% of the total water that is pumped in the state.The LPNNRD district has 4 aquifer regions which then are split into 26 separate subareas. Each have their own unique geology, soil types, and aquifer characteristics. Therefore, the variability of pumping amounts that is documented and recorded in our data set may not be comparable from area to area.

Meters that are installed must be installed correctly and totalize in acre inches. If they are totalizing in gallons there is the potential that the meter can rollover, which could be unknown to the producer and staff. 

Current brands of meters that are on the district approved list:
Propeller/Turbine style meters only

McCrometer- propeller meter (currently have mechanical & digital screens allowed)- digital screens require batteries

Geyser- propeller meter- mechanical register only

Sparling- they do make a mechanical style totalizer, but the only Sparling meters that are installed in our district thus far have a digital totalizer that requires batteries.

ARAD Group-for different applications such as SDI (Sub-surface drip irrigation)

What needs to be answered moving forward?
Are we going to allow Propeller meters with a digital totalizer or not allow them?

We have already removed the electromagnetic meters all together from the district approved list because they need power to record and because of the unknown makeup of water quality/chemistry around the district  that could potentially skew the data that is recorded by this sort of meter. For example, the build up of iron. 

Propeller meters also have a digital totalizer option. If the batteries fail then the flow will not be recorded. Mechanical meters with a mechanical totalizer, if operating correctly, do not need external/battery power to record. In other words, if the committee so chooses, we would need a motion to remove or adjust our district approved list if we decide to remove the propeller digital/electronic record keeping meters. Propeller style meters with a mechanical totalizer would then be the only meters allowed.

ARAD group meters, which is a turbine style meter with a digital totalizer. These meters are used primarily in smaller water line applications such as an SDI system. Most of the time, these meters are sheltered and not directly exposed to the elements of hot and cold. 

Rationale: 

2022 is the twentieth year for this Phase 2 Area. 

Year	Nitrate-nitrogen Range	Percent Nitrate-nitrogen 0 to 8.0 ppm	Percent Nitrate-nitrogen 8.01 to 10.00 ppm	Percent Nitrate-nitrogen 10.01 to 15 ppm	Percent Nitrate-nitrogen greater than 15 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)	14% (44 of 107)	26%
2014	0 to 22.3 ppm	51% (55 of 108)	13% (14 of 108)	18% (39 of 108)	20%
2015	0 to 32.3 ppm	43% (31 of 72)	8% (6 of 72)	14% (35 of 72)	33%
2016	0 to 35.1 ppm	34% (25 of 74)	11% (8 of 74)	26% (41 of 74)	26%
2017	0 to 23.5 ppm	36% (27 of 74)	15% (11 of 74)	19% (36 of 74)	22%
2018	0 to 30.9 ppm	40% (25 of 63)	11% (7 of 63)	22% (31 of 63)	28%
2019	0 to 24.5 ppm	46% (22 of 48)	10% (5 of 48)	28% (21 of 48)	22%
2020	0 to 20.5 ppm	33.33% (20 of 60)	13.33% (8 of 60)	35% (21 of 60)	18.33% (11 of 60)
2021	0.12 to 27.7	40.6% (26 of 64)	15.6% (10 of 64)	25% (16 of 64)	18.8% (12 of 64)
2022	0.13 to 23.0	43.75% (28 of 64)	12.50% (8 of 64)	26.56% (17 of 64)	17.19% (11 of 64)

Rationale: 

2021 is the seventh year of this Phase 3 Area.  This Phase 3 area went into effect September 1, 2015.  The 55 sections of this area first went into a Phase 2 Area in 2004.  The ten sections that were in Phase 2 are now in Phase 3.  As such, the 2020, 2021 and 2022 numbers (at bottom of table) are for 65 sections.

Year	Nitrate-nitrogen Range	Percent Nitrate-nitrogen 0 to 8.0 ppm	Percent Nitrate-nitrogen 8.01 to 10.00 ppm	Percent Nitrate-nitrogen 10.01 to 15 ppm	Percent Nitrate-nitrogen greater than 15 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)	30% (150 of 241)	31%
2013	0 to 94.0 ppm	25% (63 of 252)	9% (23 of 252)	31% (166 of 252)	36%
2014	0 to 101.0 ppm	27% (68 of 251)	9% (22 of 251)	27% (161 of 251)	37%
2015	0 to 53.3 ppm	23% (55 of 238)	12% (29 of 238)	25% (154 of 238)	41%
2016	0 to 50.5 ppm	25% (58 of 228)	10% (22 of 228)	26% (148 of 228)	40%
2017	0 to 53.4 ppm	25% (60 of 238)	6% (14 of 238)	29% (164 of 238)	41%
2018	0 to 56.9 ppm	26.5% (50 of 189)	6.3% (12 of 189)	25% (127 of 189)	42%
2019	0 to 39.4 ppm	25% (53 of 209)	11% (22 of 209)	23% (134 of 209)	42%
2020	0 to 50.8 ppm	26% (69 of 261)	6% (15 of 261)	26% (66 of 257)	43% (110 of 257)
2021	0 to 43.0	25.5% (67 of 263)	8.4% (22 of 263)	24.3% (64 o 263)	41.8% (109 of 263)
2022	0 to 58.5	23.0% (57 of 248)	6.45% (16 of 248)	29.44% (73 of 248)	41.13% (102 of 248)

 

Rationale:  Staff and UNL have hosted 3 classes with around 100 total in attendance.  

Upcoming classes:
Thursday - Feb 2 at Columbus Ag Park starting at 1 pm
Thursday - Feb 9 at ENREC (Mead), coordinated with the Cover Crop/Soil Health Program
Wednesday - Feb 15 at Lindsay Village Hall at 1 pm
Tuesday - Feb 21 at David City Fairgrounds at 1 pm
Monday - Feb 27 at Fremont Extension Office at 10 am.

Rationale:  The Coalition involves 7 NRDs and NeDNR that is part of the Lower Platte River Basin.  An annual report is due every year on March 1, with emphasis in the report on depletions in each District.  

Rationale: 

For 2022 we have xxx renewals and xx new permit applications for a current total of xxx.  Inspections for xx renewal permits have been completed.
Chemigation renewals are due June 1 with forms going out around the first of March. 
 

Rationale: 

The LPNNRD has received # 0 livestock permit applications from DEQ since the last Water Committee meeting.
The Board did pass a motion to stay neutral on livestock facilities and the NRD's responsibility is with the permitting of high capacity wells.  Manure application is usually treated as any commercial fertilizer, which soil sampling and manure analysis should be conducted and handled by NDEE.  

Name	Livestock	Type of Permit	Legal Description	County

 

 

 Description of permit application

 

Rationale: 

# new wells has been reviewed and approved for decommissioning since the last Committee meeting.

 

Rationale: 

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

Well Owner	Type of Well	Cost Share Payment	County
LaRose Preister (Tom Preister)	Irrigation	$1,565.72	Platte

 

Rationale:  It was discussed at previous committee meetings to update the 1995 GW Management Plan.  It was proposed for 2 directors and staff to review and discuss the approach to re-writing the plan.  
1995 plan is attached.  

The committee and staff will review the plan and discuss it at the next Committee meeting.  

Rationale:  A public informational session is planned for Tuesday, February 28, from 6-8 pm at the St Benedict Center, north of Schuyler.  The purpose of this program is for producers and their wives to learn about the issues in the Schuyler Richland Nitrate Management Area.  If LPN decides to proceed with a Phase 4 area, this area would be a smaller area within the current Phase 3 area.  By the LPN Groundwater Rules and Regulations, certain criteria need to be met and the total area does not meet these criteria.  

The plan for this session is to have stations with different information similar to an open house.  This will allow people to visit the area of interest and have discussions with the staff, board members and UNL personnel.   A short presentation will be given to the whole group explaining the purpose and criteria for moving to Phase 4.  

Confirm informational stations:

• GW Rules and Regulation
  • Phase 4 Criteria
  • Potential Boundaries 
• Cost-share information
  • WSF Grant BMPs
  • Domestic Water Sampling
• Irrigation Management
  • Over irrigation and leaching
• Nitrate and Health 
  • UNMC study
• Vadose and Water Sampling Results 
  • Vadose information 2019-20
  • Istotope information
  • Other water sampling results

Other potential discussions could include cover-crops projects, manure and nitrogen management.  Other topics that should be included?

Rationale:  The Consortium members are Papio NRD, LPSNRD, LPNNRD. MUD, LWS and NeDNR.  A drought plan was developed from 2018-2020 and is now in the process of looking at mitigation projects.  Attached are the projects that were considered initially.  At the meeting on January 17, the discussion was on LWS developing a well field near the Missouri River and an augmentation project near the Platte and Elkhorn Rivers.  

Notes from Caiitlin Kingsley - NeDNR
Thank you to everyone who participated in our meeting on January 17, 2023. To recap, we continued the drought projects discussion and planned another round of spring press releases. Action items include: 

• In March, NeDNR will initiate press release development and gauge interest in participating in the accompanying podcast episode. 
• NeDNR will revisit the Sherman Reservoir release calculations 
• LPNNRD will get an update from JEO regarding the Fremont dewatering project. 

Our next scheduled meeting is our ILCA meeting at 10 a.m. on April 4, 2023. NeDNR will host this meeting to facilitate the podcast recording afterwards. 
 

Rationale:  Staff and directors attended the Winter Conference on St Simons Island, Georgia.  Topics included groundwater modeling, NWRA report, Agricultural Water Management, Climate Change, Groundwater Innovation, Groundwater Management in the States, Legal Considerations for Groundwater Management.   

Notes from the topics at the conference:

• A couple of states require a water conservation plan before issuing a well permit.
• Dispute over boundary between Georgia and Tennessee
  • The City of Atlanta uses surface water for drinking water , so it could affect them if Tennessee gets to move the boundary.  
• USDA recharge Project
  • Project that takes excess water from the Mississippi Delta and moves it further inland.  
• Student interns to assist in projects
  • Make a wish list and make sure the project is not time-sensitive.  
• Water lawsuits
  •  Residential areas might not be regulated under WOTUS.  
• Federal Grants
  • BOR has money to spend
  • Water Smart Grants can be for $3,000,000 but require a 50% match.  The first deadline is March 28, 2023.
• Past and Future Climate of US
  • When graphing temperature and moisture, be sure to review the number of years analyzed. 
  • Food waste increases methane gases.  
  • Need to look at the economics of water conservation. 
  • The 100th Meridian line that goes through Nebraska has a correlation with the humid eastern United States and the arid Western plains.

Thanks for allowing staff and directors to attend.  Some of the more valuable information is obtained when networking with other states.   

Rationale:  A joint agreement with USGS for approval to continue with the stream gages on the Platte River and Shell Creek, along with a groundwater monitoring well.  The stream gage site at Leshara is an agreement through the Alliance.  The total cost for the 3 sites shown below is $34,870 with LPN share at $18,190.  This has been a continuous partnership with USGS for numerous years.  

Joint Share Sites with USGS:

• Shell Creek near Columbus
• Wahoo Creek near Ashland
• Groundwater Station near Mead

Rationale:  An update on the database that is utilized by the Groundwater Department.  The Committee did not review because of time.   

Rationale:  Currently, the GW Committee Meeting is Wednesday night at 6 pm. Do we want the same time of week and day?