Brothers Steve and Gregg Smith of
Imperial feel certain the future of the southwest Nebraska economy rests with the ability
to irrigate with groundwater.
What they're not certain about is how their rights to irrigate
will be affected by the basin-wide compliance with the Republican River Compact
Settlement.
It's this uncertainty and the lack of being able to obtain
consistent, concise data from the NRDs and the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources
that led them to form WaterClaim.
Steve Smith explained WaterClaim is a non-profit ag organization
designed to give farmers a voice in the ongoing process of complying with the RRCS.
Steve Smith, who operates Chase3000 Internet service based in
Imperial, leases 1,000 irrigated acres to Gregg, who irrigates about 5,000 acres in Chase
County.
As a result, they have a keen interest in what happens with
irrigation in the Republican Basin.
Slow down the process
"WaterClaim was set up for the primary purpose of slowing
down and challenging the process," Steve Smith said.
"Whether by phone, by lawsuits, whatever it takes-jobs and
livelihoods are at stake," he continued.
The Smith brothers held an informational meeting on their new
organization July 13, drawing more than 120 to the meeting.
On Friday, they attended the Lower Republican meetings in Alma,
telling irrigators about their goals.
It bothers Smith a great deal that he has not been able to get
access to the data DNR is using to base its request for a 5 percent pumping reduction
throughout the entire Republican Basin.
In instances when he has gotten information, it doesn't appear to
be consistent, despite assurances from DNR that it is.
As a result, Steve Smith said he wants to see the entire process
slowed. He said the NRDs don't have the necessary information needed to make such
monumental decisions that will affect this region and basin for many years to come.
If unable to obtain solid information, Smith said he will
consider filing for it under the Freedom of Information Act.
If efforts to obtain reliable information are unsuccessful, Steve
Smith didn't rule out the use of lawsuits and water claims to slow the process.
DNR is seeking a 5 percent pumping reduction throughout the
Republican Basin to comply with the RRCS. However, that reduction would increase in water
short years.
The Upper and Middle Republican NRD have tossed out some
compliance proposals but no action to move the process along has been taken.
The Lower Republican NRD has yet to propose any compliance plans
and is still allowing certification of additional irrigated acres until Dec. 31, 2004.
Steve Smith said there are a number of alternatives that also
need to be explored before hastily implementing a plan that would likely devastate the
economy of southwest Nebraska.
Some of these ideas include pumping water into Harlan County
Reservoir, either from a well field or from unused allocation from the Platte River.
The amount of water in Harlan is being used as the primary
measuring stick in the RRCS when determining water availability in the Republican Basin.
Other ideas include reducing tree vegetation along the streams,
buying surface water rights and either importing or exporting water.
Smith said estimates show that removing one acre of trees would
yield a savings of four acre feet of water, increasing the virgin water supply, half of
which Nebraska could apply toward the settlement.
Smith fearful of lag effect
Steve Smith cautioned that irrigators should be most concerned
about the lag effect being addressed by DNR.
DNR says any aquifer pumping eventually reduces stream flow, with
wells closest to streams having the quickest impact.
Still, wells miles away from the stream also contribute, DNR
says, meaning this depletion must eventually be accounted for.
Smith said definitive figures on the lag effect have been
unavailable from DNR. However, present calculations would eventually phase out all aquifer
pumping to make up for the lag effect.
"That's what farmers need to be most concerned with
now," he cautioned. Still, accurate information must be available before any
decisions are made, Smith added.
In order to represent irrigators' issues, landowners can join
WaterClaim by paying a small per-acre fee to help defray costs.
Individuals and business owners can also join for a flat fee.
"What we can do depends on how many people
participate," Steve Smith said.
More information on the organization can be found on the web at: www.waterclaim.org.
