NRD meeting may include option vote

CURTIS -- Middle Republican Natural Resources District board members plan their regular monthly meeting at 1:45 p.m. Wednesday, at the Curtis Memorial Community Center, 201 Garlick Ave.

The meeting was rescheduled from Dec. 8 because of inclement weather.

On the agenda is the discussion and possible vote on the three options the state has proposed for the three NRDs in the Basin, to keep Nebraska in compliance with Kansas on Republican River flows in years designated as water-short.

The Nebraska Department of Natural Resources has required that the NRDs choose one of the options by the end of the year.

The options includes a permanent reduction of groundwater allocations in all the districts or to shut down wells in rapid response areas in the basin.

Rapid response wells are those located within 2.5 miles of the river.

The Upper NRD in Imperial has selected Option 3, which will shut down wells in an area defined by DNR as the 10 percent, two-year rapid response area, as well as requiring a 1 percent annual reduction in water use from all remaining users.

Total acres losing water under this option would be 22,700 in the Upper, 44,500 in the Middle and 45,800 in the Lower, for a total of 110,000 acres affected.

The Middle and Lower NRDs have not yet voted on which option they will select.