NRD picks plan, but still wants other options

CURTIS -- After a lot of foot-dragging, nearly three hours of discussion and, by barely a majority, board members of the Middle Republican Natural Resources District reluctantly chose to consider shutting down irrigation to those closest to the river in water-short years.

But they also agreed to ask for more funding and to develop another option that would create rolling allocations, to avoid that scenario.

By 6 to 5, board members voted to send the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources their decision, that reads:

"The MRNRD will continue to work with DNR to gather information needed to develop an option No. 4, that would develop an effective rolling allocation, to replace No. 3 which we regretfully select for consideration. State or local funding is required for adoption.

"If you want to keep people divided, choose Option 3," stated board member Buck Haag early in the meeting, one of five members who voted against the measure.

Added James Uerling, who also voted against it, "Option 3 makes quick response areas responsible for the whole basin."

Others voting against it were Rick McConville, Brad Randall and Rick Spencer.

The board expressed resistance in choosing any of the options offered by the state, but some felt that by selecting something, they were showing the Nebraska Legislature that they were willing to take action in order gain funding at the state level or as a stop-gap measure until something else could be implemented.

Joe Anderjaksa said it was a struggle to be fair in deciding on options but said the board must also look at the big picture.

"We have to look at everyone ... the dryland producer, the ag industry, the municipalities," he said, adding that the impact will be devastating if half of the irrigated acres in the basin are shut off. Option 3 is just a starting point, he stressed.

But the "go along to get along" mentality didn't sit well with Uerling, who said later in the meeting, "The one who gets along, gets whipped. The guy who digs in his heels, wins." Being forced to choose one of the options is doing nothing but dividing board members and NRDs within the Basin, he added.

The DNR had asked the three NRDs to choose, by the end of the year, one of three options to implement during water-short years, as a way to show that the state has a plan in place for dry years.

Option 1 would reduce pumping by 60 percent and begin in 2010; Option 2 shuts down all wells in a water-short year in an area defined by DNR as the 10 percent/5-Year Rapid Response Area (RRA) and Option 3 shuts down all wells in a somewhat smaller area defined by DNR as the 10-percent/2-Year RRA.

This would include all wells in a defined area where water pumped over a 2-year period would cause a 10 percent reduction to stream flow.

The Middle chose Option 3, as did the Upper earlier in the month. The Lower is scheduled to vote at its Dec. 28 meeting.

Option 3 will shut down wells that are within 2.5 miles of the river and affect 44,500 acres in the Middle NRD, 45,800 in the Lower and 22,700 in the Upper, for a total of 110,000 acres.

A water-short year is triggered when the irrigation supply in Harlan County falls below 119,000 acre-feet.

The DNR forecast predicts 2010 will not be water-short.