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

Rationale:  Following review by the Water Committee, the second draft of the LPNNRD violations policy is attached.

Rationale:  The District received one application for 10 acres since the last Water Committee Meeting.  September 15th is the deadline for variance applications in the Hydrologically Connected Area (Limited Development Area).

Rationale:  The district did not receive any new applications since the last Water Committee meeting.  August 15th is the deadline for new variance requests in the Non-Hydrologically Connected Area (Normal Development Area).

Rationale:  No updates.

Rationale:  Wells Permits Approved: 3

Landowner	Number of Wells	Number of New Irrigated Acres	Type of Well	County	Subarea
Colleen F Wachal	1	0	Replacement (Irrigation)	Colfax	Schuyler
Steve Frahm	1	130	New (Irrigation)	Saunders	Todd Valley
NDOR	1	0	New (Dewatering)	Saunders	Wann

The total number of approved permits for 2015 is 32


Location of Approved Well Permits for 2015:  Correct as of 7/29/2015

County	Irrigation - New	Irrigation - Replacement	Stock	Commercial	Municipal	Other	Total
Butler	1	2	1	0	0	0	4
Colfax	1	3	1	0	0	0	5
Dodge	3	3	0	0	0	0	6
Boone	1	2	0	0	0	0	3
Madison	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Platte	3	2	0	0	0	0	5
Saunders	4	3	0	1	0	1	9
Total	12	15	2	1	0	1	32

Rationale: 

Sandy Pointe Development has submitted two applications for Public Water Supply (PWS) wells in the NE 1/4 SE 1/4 Section 24-13-9E and SE 1/4 SE 1/4 Section 13-13-9E of Saunders County, Wann Subarea. The new wells will pump 300 gpm estimated water use was not provided, but the lake is planned to have approximately 190 lots.  The plans call for a third PWS well once the development becomes more populated. 

 

Attached are section maps showing the location of the two wells, and the test hole logs provided by Sargent Irrigation on behalf of Sandy Pointe Development.

Rationale:  Terry Beller has submitted a well permit application for a new livestock well in the SE 1/4 SW 1/4 Section 13-20-4W in Platte County, Lower Newman Grove Subarea. The stock well will be used to keep cattle cool during the hot summer months. The well will pump 350 gpm and is estimated to pump 1,440,000 gallons annually.  The feedlot peaks at 5,200 head of cattle.

Rationale: 

Brach Johnson has applied for a new well to irrigate 32.8 certified irrigated acres in the NW 1/4 of the NE 1/4 of Section 7, T18N, R2E Colfax County, Shell Creek Uplands Subarea.  This field is also located in the Platte-Colfax Special Quantity Subarea. The owner of the current well (Bryce Grotelueschen), and Mr. Johnson have had a falling out which has led to the submission of a new well permit. 

Attached is a map of the field in question, a letter submitted by Mr. Johnson, and the well log from well G-157921.

Clint Johannes sold this property to Brach Johnson and Clint says this land has never been irrigated.  The Committee took no action until this can be further reviewed.  

Chris Poole reviewed this situation and found that Johannes is correct.  The original well permit for Bryce Grotelueschen listed 133 acres in 2010 but the NW 1/4 of this section was not irrigated within the one year time limit of the well permit and the well registration has not updated within 60 days as required by DNR. The acre certification will be modified for both landowners to address the correct situation.

Brach Johnson was informed of the situation and he can still apply for a variance request, however since this land is in the Platte-Colfax SQS area, there is little likelihood that this will be approved.

Rationale: 

Recent rains have delayed the summer ground water energy level readings in the SQS areas.

Johannes informed staff that the Platte - Colfax SQS area has not been getting as much rain as other parts of the district and therefore some pivots have been running.

Rationale: 

The last Water Banking workshop was held on July 20, 2015 at the Community College in Columbus.  For more information visit the website: //dnr.nebraska.gov/LPRBC 

The next Technical Committee is scheduled for August 11, 2015 in Ord and water banking will still be the focus.

Rationale: 

Still waiting on update of the Water Inventory Report.

Olsson Associates has submitted an invoice for $1,448.13 for services rendered to July 4, 2015.

	Total to Date
Total Billings	$140,374.47
Contract Amount	$174,700.00
Contract Remaining	$34,325.53

 

Rationale: 

2014 is the twelfth year of this Phase 2 Area.  

On September 1, 2015 a total of 11 sections will be removed from the Bellwood Phase 2 management area due to slowly declining nitrate-nitrogen concentrations in the groundwater (see attached map).

Rationale: 

2014 is the eleventh year of this Phase 2 Area.

Special education class was held at the Schuyler Oak Ballroom on Wednesday July 22, 2015 starting at 7:00 pm.  Topics covered the improving situation in the Bellwood Phase 2 area (lower nitrate-nitrogen levels in the aquifer) and the disappointing situation in the Richland-Schuyler Phase management area where nitrates are slowly rising and the area is getting larger.

On September 1, 2015 the existing Richland-Schuyler area will move from Phase 2 to Phase 3 and the ten sections on the northern edge will move from Phase 1 to a Phase 2 management area (see attached map).

A demonstration of the SENSE program was held on July 28, 2015 at Columbus Ag. Park.  Approximately 12 producers attended and 4 LPNNRD directors were also in attendance.

Rationale: 

Staff has been working with Edward Duda and Sue Healey on a potential issue involving James Barta installing drain tile in a field near Linwood in Butler County.  Drainage of this water would cross unto their property and therefore could limit access to their fields .  

The LPNNRD lacks any real authority in this matter and therefore a possible civil suit between landowners maybe the only recourse. 

Rationale: 

So far for 2015, we currently have 420 renewals and 92 new applications for a total of 512 permits.

Summer chemigation inspections are listed below:

	Number to be inspected this summer	Number inspected	Number remaining
Renewal	~140	99	41
New	92	87	5

 

The breakdown, by county for the 92 new chemigation permit applications, are listed below:

• Boone 1
• Butler 11
• Colfax 7
• Dodge  18
• Madison 1
• Platte 17
• Saunders 37

Rationale:  No new livestock waste permits from DEQ since the last Water Committee meeting.

Rationale:  One new well has been reviewed and approved by Gottschalk for decommissioning since the last Committee meeting (see attached file).

Rationale:  One well has been plugged, reviewed, and ready for cost share payment approval this month (see attached file).

Well Owner	Type of Well	Cost Share Estimate	County
Jane Stara Revocable Trust	Irrigation	$943.11	Butler

Rationale:  Staff continue to sample wells in the Statewide Network and Phase management areas.

Rationale:  Budget for the Water Committee was handed out and reviewed by the Committee.

Rationale:  No members from the Public were present.