Sunday, July 06, 2008

By SANDRA HANSEN
Ag Editor

When LB 962 was passed by the Nebraska legislature in 2004, it called for a set of operational plans from individual natural resources districts as well as a basin-wide plan. Having failed to reach an agreement by now, the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources has suggested the districts request an extension until September 2009, the maximum time allowed in the bill.

According to Ron Cacek, general manager of the North Platte Natural Resources District, the local board will act on the suggestion at its May 8 meeting. He said none of the other five districts have acted on it either.
Cacek said one of the obstacles is the insistence of some downstream stakeholders to include more detail in the plan. Others don't want too much detail, he said.

"They want to allow some flexibility," Cacek explained. "The question is 'How much?'"

Some feel the district IMPs cannot be completed before the basin-wide plan is.

The Integrated Management Plans are required by LB 962. Each of the five NRD's must develop one that will work with the others, and meet requirements of a basin-wide IMP.

Cacek said the North Platte NRD had a group working on water issues before LB 962, so they have developed at least a partial draft of an IMP.

One of the issues is how to deal with water for municipalities, Cacek said. Getting the correct wording on paper is a challenge, especially since a lot of industrial and commercial uses are acquired through municipal water systems.

Cacek said any additional municipal allocations would depend on government and industrial use.
"Once we get it written, every one can look at it and decide," Cacek said.

The discussions are conducted during Stakeholder meetings that include representatives from various water users in the impacted areas. The meetings are open to the public and advertised ahead of time. Time is allowed for public comment during the meetings. The next meeting will be held in June.