LRNRD expects farmers will face drought restrictions

In recent days Todd Siel, manager of the Lower Republican Natural Resources District, Nick Simonsen, the district’s assistant manager and Mary Goebel, information and education coordinator for the district, have been traveling about the district meeting with residents and reporting on district activities. They were at the Superior County Club on Thursday morning.

In 1969, the Nebraska legislature divided the state into 23 natural resource districts. The districts were organized and started operating in 1972. The districts were formed from 154 special purposed entities including the conservation district which served all of Nuckolls County. Like the Unicameral, the statewide system is unique to Nebraska.

The districts provide management by watersheds and are managed by locally elected boards. Nuckolls County is served by two districts. The Lower Republican with an office in Alma and the Little Blue with an office in Davenport. The districts are tied to the two rivers that cross the county.

The late Sen. Maurice Kremer of Aurora was the author of the legislation. Depending upon the watershed they serve, the districts focus on different areas of responsibility including recreation, flood control, range management, water quality and water quantity. The LRNRD has several programs including ones promoting the planting of trees, soil health and education. Ground water management, however, is the primary focus area. After the most recent legislative redistricting, State Sen. Dave Murman represents the entire district.

The district is 120 miles long stretching from Hardy on the east to Cambridge on the west. It is a maximum of 24 miles wide in the western counties but less in Webster and Nuckolls counties because of the Little Blue River. The district contains 350,000 irrigated acres. Of those, 305,725 are irrigated solely with ground water.

Ground water is allocated to the irrigators in five-year increments. A new period starts in 2023. A maximum of 9 inches will be allowed each year, for a total of 45 inches in the five year period. However, irrigators will be permitted to carry over 9 inches of unused water from the period ending this year.

Because of the current drought, this is expected to be what is termed a “Hard Cap Year” meaning a maximum of 13 inches can be used. In the current year, the district-wide average was 9.9 inches per acre.

It was reported the installation of automated gates to control the surface water canals is thought to be saving 2.700 acre feet of water each year.

In cooperation with the Trailblazer Resource and Conservation District located at Red Cloud, the district assists with tire, electronic and hazardous waste recycling events.

It was reported the district wide irrigation water use per year is as follows:

2003 =13.03 inches per acre

2004 = 11.24 inches per acre

2005 = 7.17 inches per acre

2006= 7.58 inches per acre

2007 = 6.11 inches per acre

2008 = 5.25 inches per acre

2009 = 5.92 inches per acre

2010 = 4.44 inches per acre

2011 = 5.46 inches per acre

2012 = 11.52 inches per acre

2013 = 8.45 inches per acre

2014 = 5.65 inches per acre

2015 = 7.30 inches per acre

2016 = 7.99 inches per acre

2017 = 6.46 inches per acre

2018 = 4.86 inches per acre

2019 = 3.73 inches per acre

2020 = 8.15 inches per acre

2021 = 6.32 inches per acre

2022 = 9.9 inches per acre

Ground water pumping hit a high in 2002.

The rural water project completed in 2005 provides water to 192 customers. Of these, 98 are rural livestock connections, 92 residential customers and the Village of Guide Rock. The line runs from Franklin to Guide Rock along Highway 136, a distance of 40 miles and south six miles to the Kansas-Nebraska state line. The system has one water tower located 4 miles south of Franklin which holds 100,000 gallons of water. The project cost $3.237 million to construct.

Thus far the proposed diversion of excess stream flow from the Platte River to the Republican River has not been put to use. The project design calls for a maximum diversion of 100 cubic feet per second but a more realistic flow to prevent stream bank erosion is 50 to 60 c.f.s. It is expected the Platte River will have water available for the diversion 4 years out of every 10 but the water will be needed in the Republican basin only half of the available time. When water is both available and needed, it may provide 2,000 to 4,000 acre feet of water.

Water may be diverted to the often short Republican basin through a combination of existing canals and installed pipe to Turkey Creek. It will then flow to the Republican River and be held in the Harlan County Reservoir. The project will divert water only when Platte flows are sufficient to supply all Platte water rights. Turkey Creek enters the Republican River between Edison and Oxford.

The Nebraska Cooperative Republican Platte Enhancement project is an interlocal agency formed in 2012 by four natural resources districts to increase stream flows in the Republican and Platte rivers. The agency purchased 19,500 acres of land in Lincoln County and retired it from irrigation so that the water from 115 wells that was being used for irrigation can by transported via pipelines and tributaries to both the Republican and Platte rivers. While no longer irrigated, the land is being used for agricultural practices.

When the Harlan County Reservoir is filled to the top of the flood pool, it will hold 814,111 acre feet of water. Of this, 500,000 acre feet of water is considered to be in the flood pool. When filled to the top of the irrigation or conservation pool, the lake contains 314,111 acre feet of water. Of this, 150,000 acre feet are considered to be in the irrigation pool. The sediment pool contains 164,111 acre feet of water.

An acre foot is enough water to cover one acre of land with 12 inches of water.

The lake’s lowest outlet is at an elevation of 1,885 feet. The Naponee Canal outlet is at 1,921.5 feet. The Franklin Canal outlet elevation is at 1,920 feet. The Superior and Courtland canals which serve this area are filled via a diversion dam at Guide Rock so it is possible to supply them with water until the lake reaches the dead level. However, we expect they would be shut off before that point is reached.

The streambed elevation at the dam is 1,875 feet, Currently the water level in the big lake is at 1938.5 and the reservoir is considered to be 71.7 percent full. The lake contains 225,024 acre feet of water.