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

Rationale:  Bill Seger was voted to be Vice-Chair at the January Water Committee.  Does the Committee want to continue meeting on Wednesday night?

Duane Johnson was nominated and elected by unanimous ballot for Vice-Chairman.
The Committee agreed to leave the Water Committee meeting time for Wednesday night at 6 pm.   

Rationale:  Last year, USGS with Lower Loup and LPN NRDs submitted a Nebraska Environmental Trust (NET) grant for age dating the groundwater from Columbus to Fremont.  The grant was not approved, so now the group is considering submitting the grant to the Water Sustainability Fund (WSF).  The application is due March 15-31 for funding in July and/or August.  As the WSF grant cost-share is different than NET, each NRD would need to contribute $10,000 more between both.  This would obligate LPN to $54,000 over a 3-year period.  USGS will be contributing an additional $14,000 to the project.  The total cost of the project is projected to be $404,000 with WSF funding $173,000. 

Chris Hobza from USGS was present at the meeting to explain the need for an extra $10,000.  The WSF grant is funded differently as USGS dollars are subtracted from the total and a 60-40 split is required for the other entities.   

Numbers presented by Chris are shown for the new application.  
 

	FY2023	FY24	FY25	FY26	TOTAL
TOTAL	--	$148,000	$154,000	$107,000	$409,000
USGS	--	$32,000	$63,000	$42,000	$137,000
WSF	--	$70,000	$55,000	$39,000	$164,000
LPNNRD1	--	$23,000	$18,000	$13,000	$54,000
LLNRD	--	$23,000	$18,000	$13,000	$54,000

Rationale:  Joe Luck will be presenting some information on the precision nitrogen application project.  

Joe Luck and Taylor Cross explained the project using sensors with pivot irrigation to determine the amount of nitrogen fertilizer needed.  (See Brochure)  The Committee thought this might be a project to consider in the Nitrogen Management Areas.  

Rationale:  Gene and Kristine Kosch are asking for a 9 month extension on variance  LPN-V-021-0559 in (SE1/4 15-19-2W (Platte County).  They are still waiting for a well driller and are hoping to have the well drilled in March or April 2023.  If they do not get the well drilled this spring, they would still like the option to drill in the fall.  

Normally, the District gives out 200 Acre-Feet of depletion within the Hydrological Connected Area (HCA) or the blue area on the map.   Staff have been receiving variances for the September 15, 2023 deadline.  

The Committee will discuss the variances after the spring water level readings are conducted by staff.  

Rationale: 

Wells Permits Approved: #

Landowner	Number of Wells	Number of New Irrigated Acres	Type of Well	County	Subarea
Bryce Grotelueschen	1	0	Irrigation/Replacement	Colfax	Middle Shell Creek

 

 

 

 

 

 

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:  TRI CITY METERS- They were working on ZONE 3 of the district a couple of weeks ago. Then mother nature decided to turn the furnace up to about 50 degrees, so we made the executive decision to call them off, so no fields would get torn up and to limit complaints. They plan on returning when or if it dries out.

The staff recommends the McCrometer Propeller style meter with a mechanical totalizer. They seem to last longer and are more reliable. The replacement of parts is a cheaper option than replacing the whole meter. 

Current District Approved Flow Meter List for Irrigation wells:
1. McCrometer-Propeller flow meter with mechanical and digital totalizer

2. Geyser- Propeller meter with mechanical totalizer (Haven't seen one of these installed in over 5 years)

3. ARAD Group- Turbine/propeller flow meter

4. Sparling- Propeller flow meter

Proposed District Approved Flow Meter List for Irrigation:
1.McCrometer- Propeller mechanical totalizer (staff recommends) or electronic totalizer-if powered externally; & Electromagnetic flow meters- if powered externally

2.Sparling-Propeller and Electromagnetic flow meters (- if powered externally (TigermagEP)

3.ARAD GROUP-Propeller and Electromagnetic flow meters-if powered externally

4.Seametrics-AG3000-Electromagnetic flow meters- if powered externally

5.Valley-Valley3000- Electromagnetic flow meters- if powered externally

6. Lindsay Growsmart- Electromagnetic flow meters- if powered externally

Electronic Meters: The meters that are listed above have electromagnetic nodes that protrude out and act as a self-cleansing mechanism. Did not place Lindsay's flow meter on this list because their nodes lay flat. Okay with allowing these types of meters back onto our list with the following requirements and pre-approval on a case by case basis.

1. First and foremost, the electronically powered meters will have to be installed to the correct install specifications.

2. Second, the electronic flow meters will have to be powered externally and then have the battery serve as a back up.

3. Third, they must be properly grounded. If not, the microchips/electronics will be fried.

4. Fourth, the producer must wipe/clean the inside of the meter to ensure that there isn't any corrosion or build up on the electromagnetic nodes/sensors. This must be done annually after every growing/ irrigation season. The producer must ensure/prove that this is done annually. It also may be wise to require an irrigation suitability test to determine the level of elements present in the groundwater that may cause issues. If wiped clean annually after the irrigation season. Okay with allowing Lindsay's meter back on the list even though the sensors/nodes lay flat after talking to one of their field reps. 

5.Fifth, if injecting fertilizer/chemicals through the pivot, it is highly recommended to have the injection point be located downstream of the meter. If downstream is not an option, then the injection point must be atleast 20 pipe diameters upstream of where the flow meter is installed.

6. Sixth, and last of all but mainly the most important, is that no manure/slurry is to be injected or piped into the irrigation line upstream of the electromagnetic flow meter. If using manure/slurry, you may do so by injecting the manure/slurry into the irrigation line downstream of the flow meter. The chemical makeup of manure/slurry material will deteriorate the sensors/nodes over time and make the flow meter unfunctionable. 

Staff will edit the current approved flow meter policy with the edits shown along with adding the additional flow meters.  The updated approved meter policy will be presented at the next Water Committee.  

Rationale:  There are 174 producers from 2019-2022 that have not attended a certification class.  A letter was sent out in the first week of January telling them a hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, March 28 at 5 pm. The letter gave them opportunities to meet this GW Rules and Regulations requirement.  At that time, the Water Committee meeting was being considered for a Tuesday night.  
A certified letter will need to be sent out in the first part of March to producers that are out of compliance with this rule.  Could consider Wednesday, March 29, if the Water Committee stays on Wednesday night?  If these producers do not comply, the District issues a Cease Desist to be considered in the Court System.  

The Committee asked that staff confirm the list before mailing out letters.  

Attached is an example of the letter sent.  
 

Class	Date	Location	Attendance	"New"
1	Friday, January 13th	David City 1	22	2
2	Thursday, January 26th	Fremont 1	29	6
3	Tuesday, January 31st	ENREEC 1	46	9
4	Thursday, February 2nd	Columbus 1	49	7
5	Thursday, February 9th	ENREEC 2	3	0
6	Tuesday, February 14th	David City 2	19	4
7	Wednesday, February 15th	Lindsay	29	5
8	Tuesday, February 21st	David City 3	12	1
9	Monday, February 27th	Fremont 2	24	7
10	Tuesday, March 14th	ENREEC 3
11	Thursday, March 23rd	Columbus 2
		Totals	233	41

Expired 2019 (29) - 9 of these are now certified
Expired 2020 (28) - 7 of these are now certified
Expired 2021 (75) - 9 of these are now certified
Expired 2022 (82) - 15 of these are now certified
Expired 2023 (339 - 182 of these are now certified

Rationale:  The V-IMP report is due March 1 with the Technical Group meeting on March 6, Management Group - March 30 and the Board Meeting scheduled for April 12 at that NARD office in Lincoln.  Bob Hilger is LPN representative for the Board with Dave Saalfeld the alternate.  

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 Estimate	County

 

Rationale:  A "Groundwater to Faucet" event was held on Tuesday, February 28, from 6-8 pm at the St Benedict Center, North of Schuyler.  This will allow producers to hear about the nitrate issues in this area and learn what the NRD is considering for additional management. 
The event was well attended with around 50% of the producers in the management area in attendance.   Discussion was positive, with a lot of interest in the cost-share programs.   

Rationale:  UBBNRD reached out about a regenerative program next winter and was wondering if LPN would like to be involved in the program.  

The Committee would like more information and a dollar amount before committing to being a sponsor.  

Attachment

Rationale:  Update from DNR:

Our next ILCA meeting is in person at the NeDNR office on April 4, 2023. Madeline Johnson will be reaching out soon to initiate press release development and schedule interviews for the accompanying podcast episode.

Platte River near Ashland flow: The Platte River near Ashland streamgage remains ice affected. USGS estimated values indicate streamflow varied between 3700 and 5300 cfs from February 1-24.
Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) value at Ashland, NE: -3.68 as of February 27, 2023 (Severe Drought according to the LPRDCP)

Highlights from the North Central U.S. Monthly Climate and Drought Summary and Outlook webinar on February 16, 2023:

• Winter 2022-2023 Snowfall Departure from Average (Oct 1-Feb 15): As of February 15, east central and southeastern Nebraska had snow deficits of 6-24 inches. Northern and western Nebraska had snow surpluses ranging from 6-36 inches.
• Snowpack: As of February 14, the North Platte and South Platte basins had 124% and 101% of average snow water equivalent, respectively.
• El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO): ENSO-neutral conditions are predicted to begin within the next few months and persist into the early summer. By mid to late summer, El Niño increases in probability.

Find current and previous drought products on the NeDNR’s LPRBC Drought Contingency Correspondence ShareFile site.
Best regards,

Caitlin Kingsley
Environmental Specialist III | Water Planning Division
 
Nebraska Department of Natural Resources
245 Fallbrook Blvd., Suite 201
Lincoln, Nebraska 68521
 
Cell 402-310-4158    /    FAX  402-471-2900
caitlin.kingsley@nebraska.gov
 
dnr.nebraska.gov

 

Rationale:  The yearly support plan is attached.  The past 2 years, the NRD had the Silver Plan for $2,500.

A company has reached out called Longtiute 103 to handle databases. 

Rationale:  The NeDNR, LPSNRD, PMRNRD and LPNNRD developed an interlocal agreement in October of 2022 to conduct a Sub-Regional Groundwater Model.  (Agreement is attached)
This group submitted a grant to the Water Sustainability Fund (WSF) that was not approved because it was competing in the large project category (greater than $250,000).
Funding requests at that time:
WSF: $282,900
NeDNR: $188,500
LPSNRD: $62,866.67 ($20,956 to be  paid annually for three years)
LPNNRD: $62,866.67 ($20,956 to be paid annually for three years)
PMRNRD: $62,866.67 ($20,956 to be paid annually for three years)

The WSF grant is due March 15-31 this year for funding.  The group would like to re-submit this grant but reduce the request to $250,000.  This will leave a difference of $39,900 that would need to be shared by the other entities. That would increase LPN's share to around $71,000 over 3 years.  Does the Committee want to continue to support this project with a commitment of $71,000 dollars?  ($23,666 over the next 3 fiscal years) An amended inter-locat will be drafted if LPN is agreeable. This dollar amount might fluctuate a little after all the details are ironed out.  
 

Rationale:  Attached is the subscription invoice from the METOs company for $5,390 to allow remote communication with 77 monitoring wells and weather stations throughout the District.  

Rationale:  Please review

Rationale: 

The Board retreat is scheduled for Thursday, March 9th in Fremont at the Schneider Building, 935 Schneider Street, starting at 9:00 a.m.  The plan discussion for water is Phase 4 and Variances/Drought.

Rationale:  Will's report attached.