Irrigation variances return to Lower Platte North
Sunday, August 23, 2009 - 7:36 pm
District begins accepting variance requests for limited irrigation development in former stay area; ends September 15
This fall, limited irrigation development will again be allowed in parts of the Lower Platte North Natural Resources District that have been under a state-imposed moratorium since December 2008.
Beginning August 6th, the NRD will begin taking variance requests for new wells and expansion of irrigated acres in areas that were blocked to new development when the Lower Platte Basin was preliminary found to be "fully-appropriated" by the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources last December. The state later reversed that preliminary declaration, but the moratorium remained in place until now.
Variance requests for 2009-2010 will be accepted until September 15th, 2009. In this initial round, the NRD will issue variances for up to 5,000 acres (2,500 acres for 2009 and 2,500 acres for 2010).
Because demand is expected to outstrip the number of available acres, the NRD will use a ranking system to distribute the variances. All of the applications that are received will be scored using a variety of criteria, including:
*Whether the request is for expansion of irrigated acres from an existing well or a new well;
*The landowner's investment in test holes, new equipment, etc prior to the declaration of the December 16, 2008 moratorium;
*The type of irrigation system to be used;
*The number of acres to be developed;
*The land class and aquifer thickness for the acres to be developed;
*Plus several other factors.
Variances will be issued to the highest-scoring applications in each of the NRD's three
"Limited Development Ranking Regions," which represent areas with similar aquifer conditions.
When a variance is issued for a new water well, producers will still need to get a well permit before drilling the well. If a variance request is granted for expanded irrigation from an existing well, a new well permit is not required.
For 2009, variances will be issued October 15, 2009 after the NRD's October 12th board meeting. For 2010, variances will not be issued until January 1, 2010.
A similar variance request period will be held again next year and the following year for irrigation development in 2011 and 2012. Under the NRD's new groundwater rules, up to 2,500 acres a year can be developed in the Limited Development regions, or a total of 10,000 acres over the four-year period running from January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2012.
For more information on the variance application process, please contact the NRD at (888) 764-0543 or visit our website at www.lpnnrd.org.
