New rules allow for city test wells

Wednesday, June 12, 2002
Dave Griffith, district conservationist for the Curtis office of the Natural Resource Conservation Service, delivers a report

After two hours of sometimes heated comments against imposing a well-drilling moratorium, the Middle Republican Natural Resources Board of Directors did just that.

The new rules for temporary suspension, which went into effect at 12:01 a.m. today, were modified to provide for a variance, however, which will allow NRD Manager Dan Smith to allow contractors trying to find a new water source for the city of McCook to drill test holes and conduct pumping tests.

During its regular board meeting, at the Red Willow County Fairgrounds on Tuesday evening, the NRD board agreed to list emergency wells for "contamination remediation or monitoring and observation" as types of wells which could be allowed under a variance without board action.

For other wells, a variance hearing will be added to each of the regularly scheduled NRD board meetings.

Chris Miller, an engineer for McCook's water project, urged the variance as a way to deal with major fuel spills, for example, as well as the ongoing city water project. Board member Joseph Anderjaska of Hayes Center, spoke in favor of the variance, saying he didn't want to impose undue hardship on the city because of contracts already in effect.

Earlier in the evening, the board heard from 20 of the more than 100 concerned residents of the MRNRD who attended the meeting.

"In the middle of a drought, this is the wrong thing to do," Steve Jussel of Wauneta told board members.

"Most of us out here have a little cowboy in us and we don't like being told what to do," he said.

"We have a lifestyle out here that will suffer from this. All we have out here is land and water and if we can't use the water, what the hell are we going to do with the land?"he demanded.

Dan Wiles of the Nebraska Water Well Drilling Association told the board his organization was ready to stand behind the MRNRD and become actively involved if the moratorium is based on sound scientific knowledge.

"We see no sound scientific data. This will have a negative impact on agriculture and commercial economy," he said. Wesley Liehs, owner of a water well drilling service out of Lexington, told the board he is disturbed that the decision to impose the moratorium was not based on the decline of the water level or water quality. "It must be political," said Liehs.

"Considering how precious our water is, why is the NRD taking this action?" he asked.

"By controlling our water you control our land. By controlling our land you control us. Stalin and Hitler would have loved this idea," he declared.

Barry Richards of Hayes Center also voiced strong opposition to the moratorium.

Richards, a candidate for lieutenant governor on the Nebraska Party ticket, told board members he does not irrigate his land but he is opposed to the temporary suspension because the water the NRD is trying to control is his water.

"I think this is a hop-scotch over the real issue of you wanting to take my water. I don't irrigate, but it's my water. The extinction of the family farmer means nothing to most people. People ought to be concerned about this."

Mike and Doug Sullivan, brothers who have farms in the Wallace area, agreed that "just slapping a moratorium on before you collect all the data is ridiculous."

"As farmers, we don't make decisions without taking all the factors into play. I feel you need to apply that to this situation," said Doug.

In support of the suspension, Mackey Brown of Hayes County told the group the fact that he has to drill new stock wells every year due to a decreasing water level, means the moratorium is necessary.

"When I have to write a check for a new well, that's sound data," he said.

"When the neighbor across the fence drills water out from under me, I have a problem with that."

Claude Cappel of McCook also voiced his support for the moratorium, telling the board, "I don't think anyone realizes the ramifications of not having water.

"I don't know what it is, but something's different with the water," Ron Friehe of McCook said. "We need to have more information and I support this ruling until we can get that information."

"We're in a Catch-22. I don't know which is worse -- Having dryland I can't drill on or irrigated land with no water." Friehe also told the group that he has talked with several residents of the Upper Republican Natural Resour-ces District and "the only negative thing they've said is 'We should have done it sooner.'"

Nebraska Sen. Tom Baker who attended both meetings said he thought the meeting went well.

"The board is using the best information available to make the best decision possible."

In response to several comments from those attending that the decision needed to be made locally, Baker said "This is a local decision. The men on this board were elected locally."

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