City hopes for voice in state water talks

McCOOK, Neb. -- The City of McCook has applied for representation on the Nebraska Natural Resources Commission, which will be tasked with establishing rules and regulations based on recommendations from the Water Funding Task Force. The commission should play an integral role in shaping the future of statewide irrigation and compact compliance practices, prompting a pair of local irrigators to appear before City Council Monday evening in support of the effort.

Frenchman-Cambridge Irrigation District board member Jay Schilling of McCook and Middle Republican Natural Resource District board member James Uerling of Indianola offered several reasons why it was important for the city to have a voice in the irrigation management process, prior to City Council unanimously approving City Manager Nate Schneider to proceed with the application process.

Schilling said the integrated management plans guiding Nebraska's resource districts favored the Upper Republican NRD and left the Middle and Lower NRDs "paying the price." Schilling said the state had utilized surface water to meet compact compliance over the past two years and the Upper NRD had virtually no surface irrigated land.

"The middle has a little over 40,000 acres of surface irrigated land," including some co-mingled with ground water irrigation, said Schilling.

Schilling said LB 1098, which passed on final reading in April, provided an opportunity to install new integrated management plans for the resource districts, which could then shift the focus of irrigation management to sustainability.

"Sustainability is the most important thing for our area from now on," said Schilling, adding the current IMPs were established with only compact compliance in mind, as opposed to long-term sustainability of irrigation practices.

"We need to apply science and facts to a basin-wide plan," said Schilling.

Schilling said LB 1098 gave the city the right to participate in the process and it would be very important for McCook to have a string voice.

"I think it's irresponsible to ask our young people to come back if we are not working to sustain our most important resource," said Schilling.

Uerling echoed Schilling's comments and said attendance at Southwest Nebraska reservoirs fluctuated directly with water levels. Uerling estimated hundreds of millions of dollars in economic benefit to the area would be affected by future irrigation policy.

After hearing the comments from the two men, the McCook City Council unanimously approved Schneider to proceed with the application process for representation on the committee. Schneider previously submitted an application to meet an Aug. 31 deadline and said it wouldn't be an overnight process but he would update council when he had more information.

LB 1098 reconstructs the Nebraska Natural Resource Commission by adding 11 members, appointed by the Governor, in addition to the three already appointed, according to the bill's statement of intent. The bill states the 14 members are to represent a variety of categories, including agribusiness interests; agricultural interests; ground water irrigators; irrigation districts; manufacturing interests; metropolitan utilities districts; municipal users of water from a primary class city; municipal users from a first or second class city or a village; outdoor recreation users; public power districts; public power and irrigation districts; range livestock owners; surface water irrigators; and wildlife conservation interests.

The final reading of LB 1098 can be viewed online at: nebraskalegislature.gov