NRDs gather for better understanding of new state water law

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. — Nebraska has a new water law on the books but officials around the state are looking for clarification.

Nebraska Natural Resource legal counsel Jim Cook, Sidney City Attorney Jordan Ball and consultant Chris Miller tried to clear things up as they spoke to more than 100 people gathered in North Platte Wednesday.

Cook said the law (LB962) should help make the state and its 23 natural resources districts more proactive in anticipating and preventing conflicts between groundwater and surface water users.

Miller said a key factor is balance of surface and groundwater use in districts.

In over-appropriated districts, that balance is off and the law provides the districts with methods to balance those areas, Miller said.

Cook said the state needs to determine what is over-appropriated and what is just fully appropriated.

The state has $2.5 million to use to implement the new law and districts have authority to increase tax levies to raise more money, Cook said.

Ball, who represented Sidney in recent water disputes with the South Platte Natural Resources District, is concerned over power granted to districts in determining who can drill new wells and who can't.

"In Nebraska 92 percent of all jobs are in municipalities while only 8 percent is agriculture," Ball said. "NRDs are critical to the future growth of municipalities."

The new law could lead to NRD's requiring cities to buy water allocations from agricultural landowners, he said.

McCook City Manager John Bingham said the state's cities need to work more with natural resources districts to resolve issues.

"We need to start talking with our NRDs more effectively than we ever had before," Bingham said.