When will aquifer be managed?

Dear Editor,

When is the media going to wake up to the fact that Nebraska's DNR is managing the aquifer to win lawsuits with Kansas and to meet Compact compliance?When will the aquifer be managed for sustainability?

When the aquifer drops as much as 25 feet in some areas of Nebraska in one year, that should be a wake-up call that changes need to be made.

It is the media's responsibility to hold the governmental agencies accountable if they are not doing their job.

Why is it that the Lower Republican NRD is the only NRD with a 9-inch allocation? Why do the middle Republican, Upper Republican and Tri-Basin NRDs also not have 9-inch allocations?

Dale Helms,

Holbrook, Nebraska

Following is a letter I sent to Nebraska State Senators:

Senator:

The State of Nebraska's use of surface water to prove to Kansas and provide evidence to the Water Master that groundwater pumping does not have to be reduced to achieve compact compliance has sacrifices and is bankrupting surface water irrigators.

DNR has allowed groundwater irrigators managed by the NRDs to pump their full allocations of 9 inches to 12 inches, which provides more evidence to Kansas and the Water Master that compact compliance can be achieved without a reduction of groundwater acres or pumping.

The State of Nebraska is managing the aquifer for compact compliance and to win lawsuits; it is not being managed for sustainability.

The branches of Nebraska government which are to provide the checks and balances to protect the aquifer have allowed themselves to be muzzled so that a lawsuit with Kansas could be won.

The use of surface water to meet compact compliance is a management decision by DNR. This management solution takes surface water from approximately 100,000 acres so that approximately 1.6 million groundwater irrigated acres in the model domain to not have to reduce their allocations.

The final settlement stipulation dated 12-15-2002 on page 27 under item No. 2 (Nebraska action in Water-Short Year Administration) has several pages of options and instructions to achieve compliance. Surface water is not the only option, and when surface water is mentioned, it is referred to as "dry year leasing of water rights that divert at or above Guide Rock."

the Water Master's Report on page 117 states DNR's James Schneider has run the RCCA Groundwater Model for years 2002-06.

In the 2002-06.

In the 2002-06 Model run by DNR's Schneider, I received a full allocation of surface water at 8 to 10 inches each year.

The truth is the State of Nebraska is willing to bankrupt surface water irrigators to win lawsuits with Kansas.

The truth is, the State of Nebraska is willing to manage the aquifer for Compact Compliance and not for sustainability.

Sincerely,

Dale Helm

Holbrook, Nebraska