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Water Management in Australia and Nebraska
Dr. Bruce Curtis, Sheryl Curtis, Jan Bostelman, and State Senator Bruce Bostelman in front of the Sydney Opera House.
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36 | MUNICIPAL WATER LEADER
Bruce Bostelman, State Senator, Nebraska’s 23rd District Kris Polly: Senator, please tell us about your impressions of the tour. Bruce Bostelman: It was an informative and educational tour. This was the first opportunity that I have had to study surface water irrigation in Australia and the challenges that it has faced over the years, as well as its whole system of canals and gates and the computer system that ties it all together. I was very impressed. Kris Polly: What did you gain from the experience that might be applicable to Nebraska? Bruce Bostelman: I think that we have to see whether some of the technologies used in Australia could be used in our districts with surface water irrigation. Can we apply those technologies here in Nebraska, and will they achieve the same water savings that are being realized in Australia? I think there is great potential for that.
PHOTO COURTESY OFBRUCE CURTIS.
ast December, a group of Nebraskans joined Water Strategies for a tour of Australia that included Australia’s capital, Canberra, as well as the factory of irrigation equipment manufacturer Rubicon and irrigated farmland. In this article, Municipal Water Leader Editor-inChief Kris Polly speaks with Nebraska State Senator Bruce Bostelman, Jeremy Gehle of the Nebraska Department of Water Resources (NeDNR), and Bruce Curtis of the Upper Republican Natural Resources District about their experiences of the tour. Senator Bostelman represents Nebraska’s 23rd district, covering Saunders and Butler Counties and parts of Colfax County. As the lawmaking body for a heavily irrigated agricultural state, the Nebraska Unicameral Legislature has long been concerned with developing new and innovative ways to conserve irrigation water. Mr. Gehle is the division head of water administration for the the NeDNR, which prides itself on preserving and conserving Nebraska’s many types of water. The department has many branches that specialize in various types of water management, including groundwater, surface water, and floodplain management. Bruce Curtis is the assistant manager of the Upper Republican Natural Resources District, based in Imperial, Nebraska. The district has long been a leader in groundwater preservation and in the stewardship of natural resources.
