LENRD board votes to begin new irrigated acre sign-up on October 1st

At their August meeting, the Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources District (LENRD) Board of Directors voted to establish a sign-up period to receive applications for Standard Variances, for new irrigated acres, between October 1st, 2020 and October 31st, 2020.

LENRD Assistant Manager, Brian Bruckner, said, “Geographic portions of the district that are eligible to be considered for standard variances are areas that fall within the top three categories of the classification map.  A map of the eligible locations will be available at the LENRD office in Norfolk by Friday, September 4th.”

Excluded from consideration for this sign-up period will be any parcel of land located in any Quantity Management Subarea or Phase 3 Area located within the LENRD.  Applications will be available online and at the office beginning October 1st.

After discussing the drought conditions across the district, the board authorized an additional two acre-inches per acre for any irrigation well subject to an Annual Groundwater Allocation in the LENRD Quantity Management Subareas, for the establishment of cover crops this fall.

In other action, the board instructed staff to provide a letter of support as part of a grant application to the Nebraska Environmental Trust (NET) for the establishment of a UNL Testing Ag Performance Solutions (TAPS) demonstration site within the Bazile Groundwater Management Area (BGMA), and to devote up to $1,000 in financial assistance to the effort, contingent on approval of the grant request.  The demonstration sites recruit local producers who select from a menu of management decisions intended to help maximize input use efficiency.

Earlier this summer, the LENRD received Watershed Flood Prevention and Operations (WFPO) funding from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to complete the Maple Creek Watershed Plan which will evaluate potential flood prevention, watershed protection, and agricultural water management projects.  The board voted to sign a contract with FYRA Engineering, LLC to complete the Maple Creek WFPO Plan and Environmental Assessment.

LENRD General Manager, Mike Sousek, said, “This plan aims to reduce overall flood risk potential and support the largely agricultural economy in the Maple Creek Watershed.  With the help of the WFPO funding, this project will surpass previous planning efforts by focusing on the entire area, where previous studies have been smaller in scope.”  He added, “We are looking forward to working with FYRA to further define the need for potential flood reduction projects to protect the watershed.”  Four communities are located within the Maple Creek Watershed:  Leigh, Clarkson, Howells, and Nickerson.

The board also voted to work with a landowner in Stanton County to obtain a well permit for an illegal well.  If all required documentation is provided, staff will issue the permit, but the cease and desist order shall remain in place for 5 years, expiring on July 25, 2025.  The 5-year limitation is consistent with the LENRD’s past enforcement of rule violations.

In other business, the board voted to approve the updates to the average cost dockets for the Agroforestry and Conservation Cost-share Programs as recommended by the staff.  They also voted to hold their fiscal year Budget Hearing at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 10th at the LENRD office in Norfolk.

The LENRD board & staff meet each month to develop and implement management plans to protect our natural resources for the future.  The next LENRD board meeting will be Thursday, September 24th at 7:30 p.m.  Watch for further updates and stay connected with the LENRD by subscribing to their monthly emails.