LENRD Board approves applications for new irrigated acres

Earlier this fall, landowners within the Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources District (LENRD) boundaries, had an opportunity to submit applications to expand irrigated acres.

LENRD Assistant Manager, Brian Bruckner, said, “The board voted to accept applications for standard variances in some portions of the District.  We received 123 applications for new irrigated acres during the sign-up period, which was open from October 1st through October 31st, 2019.”  Eligible applications were processed using the District’s scoring and ranking process, which integrates several categories that are each assigned different score values within the subcategory.  Each eligible application was given a total score, and subsequently the applications were ranked from highest to lowest score.

The board voted at their December 2nd meeting to allow up to 292.24 acre-feet of new peak season streamflow depletions in the LENRD’s Hydrologically Connected (10/50 Area), which calculates to 2,795 new irrigated acres.  The board also voted to allow for the development of 2509.92 new irrigated acres in the LENRD’s Non-Hydrologically Connected (Non 10/50 Area).  These approvals were determined from the final rankings as provided by District staff, and a cut-off was established to determine the number of acre-feet of new depletions, and the number of new irrigated acres that would be made available for each respective management area.

Bruckner continued, “Staff will now go through the process of contacting the landowners in writing, for both approved and non-approved applications.”  After the landowners have been properly notified, the approved list will be made available by submitting a request for public records to the District.

In other action, the board approved the annual groundwater allocations for the Quantity Management Subareas subject to allocations for the 2020 growing season.  Bruckner, said, “Each year, the board must determine the annual groundwater allocation amounts for the Wayne and Eastern Madison County Quantity Management Subareas for the upcoming crop year.”  The board voted to establish the 2020 allocation amounts at:  18 acre-inches per irrigated acre for gravity/flood irrigation systems, 13 acre-inches per irrigated acre for subsurface drip irrigation systems, and 14 acre-inches per irrigated acre for all other irrigation systems in the Eastern Madison County Quantity Subarea, and 17 acre-inches per irrigated acre for gravity/flood irrigation systems, 12 acre-inches per irrigated acre for subsurface drip irrigation systems, and 13 acre-inches per irrigated acre for all other irrigation systems in the Wayne County Quantity Subarea.  These groundwater allocation amounts have remained unchanged since first being imposed for the 2013 pumping season.

In other business, the board approved 5 Community Forestry Incentive applications for a total cost of $13,719.69.  The communities receiving grants this year include:  the City of Norfolk, Norfolk Public Schools, the Village of Pilger, the City of Wakefield, and the City of West Point.

The board also voted to approve the memorandum of agreement between the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the LENRD.  LENRD General Manager, Mike Sousek, said, “The NRCS and LENRD share a rich history of collaborating to deliver comprehensive technical and financial assistance to landowners and other entities to protect, restore, and enhance natural resources.  This agreement reinforces the partnership between both agencies and will be in effect until mutually modified or terminated.”

The LENRD board & staff meet each month to develop and implement management plans for the future of our natural resources.  The next LENRD board meeting will be Thursday, December 19th at 7:30 p.m. at the LENRD office at 1508 Square Turn Boulevard in Norfolk.  Stay connected with the LENRD by subscribing to their monthly emails.