City questions NRD plans

A new integrated management plan for the Middle Republican Natural Re-sources District has left McCook City Manager John Bingham with a few reservations.

Bingham met with the MRNRD Board of Directors Tuesday night to voice his concerns over the presentation of the final draft of he Ground Water Management Area and Integrated Management Plan for the Middle Republican Natural Re-sources District.

"The city of McCook wants to participate in this process," Bingham told the board during the meeting. "I need time to sit down with the NRD staff and figure out what's going on so I can take this back to the city council."

This morning, MRNRD Manager Dan Smith told the Gazette he felt the city had time to discuss the new plan prior to the Oct. 6 public hearing.

"State statutes refer to consultation, they don't require it," Smith said.

Compared to the 2001 water management plan presented by the NRD, the new plan nearly doubles the allocation of water for the city.

In the 2001 plan, the city would have received just over 400 gallons of water per day, per person. The new plan allows for an average of 756 gallons of water per day, per person. According to Smith water allocations on a national level average about 200 to 250 gallons of water per day per person.

Smith said that unlike the 2001 plan, the new plan will also allow municipalities the opportunity to separate its industrial water users from the municipal allocation.

For example, if the city chooses the option, the city can identify an industrial user of 100 gallons per person per day and the municipal allocation for domestic use will remain at 756 gallons.

Once the city reaches its allocation level, it will be necessary to go through the procedures asking for a variance request.

McCook Economic Development Executive Director Rex Nelson told the board he was concerned with the new allocation proposal.

He explained to the board that when a company called to ask about locating in an area, they needed to know immediately if water would be available.

Smith told him the new allocations should allow for the siting of an industrial enterprise and the city's allocations would be reviewed on a yearly basis.

The board approved a variance request from Trenton Agri Products to develop a new backup well on property one-half mile northwest of the company's current primary water source.

Nebraska Sen. Tom Baker told the board the company's current backup well delivers an adequate amount of water, but the quality of the water has decreased dramatically.

Baker reported that the two wells being used for back up have spiked as high as 90 ppm in nitrates.

Baker assured the board the new well would not increase the amount of water currently being used by the plant.

He said the company would prefer not to abandon the high nitrate wells, but would use them only in emergency situations such as for fire suppression.