Special Edition
THE Upper Republican Natural Resources District
October 2017
Irrigation Leader is published 10 times a year with combined issues for July/August and November/December by
URNRD SPECIAL EDITION October 2017
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3 From the Manager by Jasper Fanning 4 Meet Our Board of Directors 5 URNRD Quick Facts 6 The Cornhusker State: How Irrigation Changed Cropping Patterns in the URNRD
18 Stewards of the Land 22 Republican River Compact Compliance: From Crisis to Stability 24 Rock Creek Augmentation Project: Repurposing Water for Compliance
8 Timeline of the URNRD
25 NCORPE: A Basinwide Tool for Compact Compliance
12 The High Plains Aquifer: Protecting Our Groundwater
26 Water Quality: The URNRD Water Testing System
13 The URNRD Tree Program
28 Reaping What Was Sown: Harvest in the URNRD
14 Well Drilling, Transferring, and Pooling: Rules and Regulations of the URNRD 16 Tracking Water Use and Levels
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29 Chemigation and the Prevention of Contamination 30 Featured Board Member: Terry Martin
CIRCULATION: Irrigation Leader is distributed to irrigation district managers and boards of directors in the 17 western states, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation officials, members of Congress and committee staff, and advertising sponsors. For address corrections or additions, please contact our office at Irrigation.Leader@waterstrategies.com. Copyright Š 2017 Water Strategies LLC. Irrigation Leader relies on the excellent contributions of a variety of natural resources professionals who provide content for the magazine. However, the views and opinions expressed by these contributors are solely those of the original contributor and do not necessarily represent or reflect the policies or positions of Irrigation Leader magazine, its editors, or Water Strategies LLC. The acceptance and use of advertisements in Irrigation Leader do not constitute a representation or warranty by Water Strategies LLC or Irrigation Leader magazine regarding the products, services, claims, or companies advertised. /IrrigationLeader
@IrrigationLeadr
COVER PHOTO: An irrigated corn field in Dundy County. Photo by Danielle Haarberg.
IRRIGATION LEADER
From the MANAGER
T
he Upper Republican Natural Resources District (URNRD) has worked toward the goal of preserving water and sustaining the agricultural-based economy of our district since 1972. The work of the URNRD, with our board members at the helm, has improved water quantity, water quality, and our ability to comply with the Republican River Compact without crippling regulations or widespread irrigation shutdowns. Many issues have been addressed, particularly regarding Republican River Compact compliance, and many more remain. We are proud of our long history of managing and regulating agricultural water use, but we realize that much work remains to be done to balance the need for water preservation and economic vitality while meeting our Republican River Compact
obligations. I hope this magazine edition gives people an idea of where we have been and where we are going. With each new challenge dealt with, another one takes center stage. The district has improved water quantity through allocations and metering. We have helped keep the state in compact compliance with the Rock Creek and Nebraska Cooperative Republican Platte Enhancement Augmentation Projects, in conjunction with our long-term allocations on groundwater pumping. This is a notable improvement to relying solely on regulations to help the state of Nebraska maintain compliance with the compact, or inaction that would have resulted in the state being out of compliance with the compact. There have been great strides in working relations with the other states that are party to the compact—Kansas and Colorado—and with that cooperation, we have been able to protect our groundwater users from an irrigation shutdown. We have had to evolve with each new issue or threat to the livelihood of our district and the resources that are so vital to the success of our area. We are now entering a new realm of water management that will aid us in the task of preserving water for future generations without sacrificing economic prosperity. Modeling tools that may help us make more localized water management decisions and technological advancements that will conserve more water are examples of new tools I believe will help us in this task. Our biggest assets are the farmers and the irrigators of our district. I believe they are the most progressive and adaptive anywhere, willing to adopt new technologies and techniques that help achieve the goal of preserving our water and communities. They understand the value of water and water conservation. Looking toward the future, we will continue to evolve as we tackle new issues, and some of the same issues that have existed since our formation, with improved tools and continued engagement with our constituents. IL Thank You,
Jasper Fanning, PhD, General Manager IRRIGATION LEADER
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Meet Our Board of Directors
Terry Martin Subdistrict 2 Chairman Director since 2003 Subdistrict boundaries: Southcentral Dundy County, including the city of Benkelman Occupation: Farmer
Jeff Wallin At-Large Vice Chairman Director since 2007 Subdistrict boundaries: At-Large Occupation: Farmer
Kerry Bernhardt Subdistrict 3 Director since 2007 Subdistrict boundaries: Northcentral and western Dundy County, including the community of Haigler; south-central and southwestern Chase County, including the community of Champion Occupation: Farmer
Jason Kunkel Subdistrict 4 Director since 2011 Subdistrict boundaries: North-central and northwestern Chase County, including the community of Lamar and the northwestern portion of Imperial; southwestern Perkins County, including the community of Venango Occupation: Farmer
Tom Gaschler Subdistrict 5 Director since 2007 Subdistrict boundaries: Eastern half of Imperial and areas immediately east and southeast of Imperial city limits Occupation: Agronomist
Dean Large Subdistrict 6 Director since 1991 Subdistrict boundaries: Northeastern and southeastern Chase County, including the city of Wauneta Occupation: Agricultural sales, farmer
Tom Terryberry Subdistrict 7 Secretary/Treasurer Director since 2002 Subdistrict boundaries: Southwestern Imperial Occupation: Farmer
Loren Jessen Subdistrict 8 Director since 2011 Subdistrict boundaries: Northwestern Perkins County, including the western half of the city of Grant Occupation: Farmer
Tom Schroder Subdistrict 9 Director since 2009 Subdistrict boundaries: Central Perkins County, including the eastern half of the city of Grant Occupation: Farmer
Brett Bullock Subdistrict 10 Director since 2011 Subdistrict boundaries: Northeastern Perkins County, including the communities of Madrid, Elsie, and Grainton Occupation: Farmer
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IRRIGATION LEADER
URNRD
Quick Facts
Counties: Chase, Dundy, Perkins Population: 9,000 Total acres: 1.73 million acres Irrigated acres: 430,000 acres Dryland cropland acres: 388,000 acres Average saturated thickness of aquifer: 180 feet
Typical Irrigated Acres Per Crop Type Corn: 300,000 acres Small grains (wheat, etc.): 35,000 acres Dry edible beans: 34,000 acres Soybeans: 21,000 acres Alfalfa: 17,000 acres Other (potatoes, sorghum, sugar beets, etc.): 23,000 acres
District Revenue Sources (2017–2018)
$4.3 million
Occupation tax on irrigated acres
$3.2 million Property tax
IRRIGATION LEADER
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THE CORNHUSKER STATE
How Irrigation Changed Cropping Patterns in the URNRD
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IRRIGATION LEADER
W
hen the weather starts to show the slightest sign of spring, the farms in the Upper Republican Natural Resources District (URNRD) come back to life after the long winter months. Equipment roars for the first time after being dormant while the ground was frozen. There is a sense of excitement and urgency in the fields as farmers prepare the ground to bear the year’s crops. This important time of the farmer’s year sets the precedent for what the rest of the seasons will be like. Although the winters are slower for producers, their work is never done. They have been mapping out their plan for the upcoming year, working on their equipment, buying seed and fertilizer, and meeting with the bank. Some even haul grain. They are ready for their winter preparations to pay off so when the time is right, they sow their seeds and continue preparing the ground for maximum yields and growth. Farmers and producers in the URNRD have changed their cropping patterns as farming practices have evolved. The district has a semiarid climate,
averaging 17–20 inches of rainfall per year. But precipitation can vary wildly from year to year. Before irrigation was introduced to the area, wheat was the predominant crop grown in the district due to the lower amount of water it needs to continue producing high yields. The 1970s brought change for producers. The use of irrigation, hybrid seed, fertilizers, pesticides, and fungicides increased throughout the state, which led to higher-value corn becoming the URNRD’s predominant crop. The availability of irrigation allowed farmers to take the risk of switching from more drought-tolerant wheat to high-producing corn in order to boost profits. Farmers in the district now produce an average of 32 times more bushels of corn than they did in 1910, thanks to the innovations made in the field of agriculture. Corn is now the secondleading commodity in Nebraska, behind cattle and calves. Wheat now ranks seventh. In the URNRD, 25 percent of the total landmass is irrigated, turning it into an economic engine for the area and state. IL
Wheat harvest in the URNRD, which typically occurs in July.
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Timeline of the URNRD
An URNRD technician works on an irrigation flow meter in the 1980s.
1976 The legislature passes the Groundwater Management Act, with encouragement from the Upper Republican Natural Resources District (URNRD). The act gives natural resources districts the authority to regulate groundwater use.
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1977
1978–1979
1980
The URNRD establishes the first Groundwater Management Area in Nebraska, with approval from the state. The entire URNRD is within the management area.
The board adopts an order making the URNRD the first in the state to require metering and reporting of groundwater use. The URNRD becomes the first district in the state to restrict irrigation, setting the allocation at 20 inches per year. Spacing limits are imposed, requiring new wells to be at least 3,300 feet from existing wells.
The allocation is set at 22 inches per year.
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ABOVE: The sun sets on the Frenchman Valley in Chase County near Enders. LEFT: An early irrigation flow meter in the URNRD.
1983
1988
1992
1993
The allocation is reduced to 20 inches per year for flood irrigation, 16 inches for pivots.
The allocation for all irrigated acres is reduced to 15 inches per year.
Well-spacing rules tighten; new wells must be at least 5,280 feet from existing wells.
The allocation is reduced to 14.5 inches per year.
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1997
2005
2007
2008
2010
A moratorium on new wells is approved. It is the first well-drilling moratorium in the state.
The URNRD and entire Republican River basin is designated as fully appropriated by the state. The URNRD subsequently adopts an Integrated Management Plan with the state that calls for long-term reductions in water use.
The first of several revisions are made to the Integrated Management Plan, including reducing water use by 20 percent relative to the average for 1998–2002.
The allocation is reduced to 13 inches.
The Integrated Management Plan is revised primarily to ensure compliance with the Republican River Compact during water-short years as suggested by an arbitrator managing the dispute between Kansas and Nebraska.
ABOVE: An old recorder well that measures groundwater levels. RIGHT: Pipe staged in Lincoln County in 2013 and installed as part of the NCORPE augmentation project.
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IRRIGATION LEADER
2012
2013
2015
2016
The URNRD constructs the Rock Creek Augmentation Project in Dundy County that includes the retirement of 5,000 irrigated acres to offset groundwater piped into Rock Creek to maintain compliance with Republican River Compact.
The board approved new limitations, intended to reduce water use, on the use of carryforward allocation and borrowing allocation from the next allocation period. The URNRD initiates the Nebraska Cooperative Republican Platte Enhancement Project (NCORPE) Augmentation Project in Lincoln County that includes three other natural resource districts. The NCORPE and Rock Creek projects prevent irrigation shutdowns in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017.
Nebraska receives a beneficial decision from the U.S. Supreme Court regarding compact compliance that rejects efforts to shut down irrigation in much of Nebraska’s portion of the Republican basin.
Kansas and Nebraska reach a mutually beneficial agreement on compact compliance matters.
IRRIGATION LEADER
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THE HIGH PLAINS AQUIFER Protecting Our Groundwater
T
he natural resources district (NRD) system was developed in 1972 with the goal of managing natural resources within Nebraska. It was the first, and remains the only, system like it in the United States. The system is designed so that locally elected boards govern over their own districts, which allows for specific, tailored rules and regulations for each of the 23 districts. Each district has its own areas it focuses on, but the issue of groundwater management unites them all. The NRD system was created to monitor and control groundwater quality and quantity. The High Plains aquifer, known as the Ogallala aquifer, lie underneath Nebraska and provides water for agricultural and domestic purposes. Approximately two-thirds of the massive aquifer is in Nebraska and an estimated 120 million acre-feet is in the Upper Republican Natural Resources District (URNRD). Approximately 99.5 percent of irrigated cropland within the URNRD relies on groundwater. The rest relies on surface water. Nebraska is not the only state that relies on the aquifer; the High Plains aquifer runs beneath eight states. The aquifer sustains the economies and the populations of large portions of those states. When large numbers of wells began being drilled in the 1950s for irrigation, there were no limitations or regulations, which resulted in declines of aquifer levels; Water was being pumped at a higher rate than it was being recharged. The NRDs have helped slow down those declines and have even reversed them in some areas with water management. Within the URNRD, there have been areas of significant groundwater
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declines, largely due to the density of The Frenchman Valley in the irrigation development that occurred URNRD. The district has great before the NRDs had the authority variation in to manage groundwater. The district topography: flat is committed to slowing rates of table-top land, river valleys, groundwater declines in a manner sand hills, that preserves water without causing rolling and canyon land. sudden and severe damage to the economy. Declines have been significantly less than what was predicted in the late 1970s and the 1980s to occur without regulations. Actual declines since that time have been 60 percent to more than 100 percent less than what was projected at that time in the various studies. The URNRD uses its Integrated Management Plan, developed in conjunction with the state of Nebraska, along with its Long Range Plan and Master Plan to map out long- and short-term goals related to water preservation and Republican River Compact compliance. One of the objectives outlined in the URNRD’s Integrated Management Plan is, “Develop a program to provide offsets for new consumptive uses of water so that economic development in the District may continue without producing an overall increase in groundwater depletions as a result of new uses.” Irrigation keeps the district and its economy alive, and without it, the semiarid climate would prevent the current level of crop production with irrigation from being achieved, harming the district’s economy and population. Because of the importance of groundwater to the district, the URNRD, its board of directors, and its landowners are keen on protecting groundwater now and for future generations. IL IRRIGATION LEADER
The URNRD Tree Program The Upper Republican Natural Resources District (URNRD) participates in the Nebraska Association of Resources Districts tree planting program, through which over 89 million trees have been planted since natural resources districts were formed in 1972. Each spring, the URNRD offers a variety of trees and shrubs for sale, like eastern redcedar, cottonwood, and chokeberry. In 2016, the URNRD sold 13,101 trees and shrubs. The URNRD also sells weed barrier, weed barrier staples, grass seed, and no-till drills. IL IRRIGATION LEADER
A new tree planting using trees and weed barriers sold by the URNRD. The semiarid climate of the district makes large swaths of it treeless, so tree plantings are popular as windbreaks for fields and farmsteads.
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Well Drilling, Transferring, and Pooling: Rules and Regulations of the URNRD The Upper Republican Natural Resources District (URNRD) has rules and regulations on well spacing, transferring certified acres, and the pooling of fields. These rules are in place to protect the groundwater in the district. The first restrictions on well spacing were established in the late 1970s to prevent the drilling of too many wells in the same area, which could lead to overpumping in the area and associated groundwater declines. The first well-spacing rules required irrigation wells to be at least 3,300 feet apart; in 1992, the rule was tightened to require
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a distance of a mile. In 1997, the URNRD enacted the first welldrilling moratorium in the state. The rules now require that any irrigation well that replaces an existing well be at least 600 feet away from any existing domestic or livestock well, at least 2,640 feet away from any existing public water supply well, and at least 1,000 feet away from any well that does not belong to the owner or controller of the land on which the new well is being drilled. Additionally, the replacement well must be drilled within 150 feet of the well it is replacing.
If landowners wish to transfer allocation or certified acres to another field so that water use is retired on one field and used on another, they can do so through a transfer. Transfers of allocation or certified acres to a different tract or use must be approved by the board, and the owners of all land involved must give consent to the transfer. Any transfer must be done within a floating township and cannot be made from one pool to another. Carryforward allocation for transferred certified acres is limited to 3 years of annual allocations, unless the acres are
IRRIGATION LEADER
transferred without changing the point of withdrawal. To prevent an increase in pumping from the aquifer and to prevent streamflow depletion, transfers are adjusted to reflect historical consumptive use and prevent increases in stream flow depletion from the origin to the point of transfer. Landowners also have the ability to pool their fields within a floating township. When fields are pooled, the allocation given to all fields in the pool is equal to the average allocation of all the fields in the pool, and the carryforward of fields added to the pool is limited to 3 years of annual allocation. All fields included in a new
pooling contract must have a positive remaining allocation. The determined allocation can then be used throughout the pool as the landowner or tenant sees fit. All pools must be approved by the board, and any pool approved must not result in more water being withdrawn from the aquifer within the floating township than is currently allocated for that floating township. The rules the URNRD has in place with regard to well spacing, transfers, and pooling help to prevent adverse effects on other groundwater users, help maintain compliance with the Republican River Compact, and protect the public interest. IL
A pivot with drops waters a cornfield in the district. Most pivots in the district have drops that apply water close to the crop, reducing water lost to evaporation.
IRRIGATION LEADER
URNRD Allocations and Carryforward In 1978, the URNRD became the first natural resource district in the state and the first entity in the country to restrict irrigation, setting an allocation of 20 inches per year. The decision was prompted by the rapid development of irrigation in the area and the experiences of other states, such as Texas, with declining groundwater levels. Since then, the allocation has been lowered 35 percent to protect groundwater and surface water from depletion. The allocation for the 2013–2017 period was set at 65 inches total for the 5-year period, which averages out to 13 inches per year. Water users do not have to use 13 inches per year or they could use more, as long as they do not use more than the 65 inches within that 5-year period. For the 2013–2017 allocation period, the board imposed new limitations on unused allocation from previous years that has been banked, commonly called carryforward. The new restriction allows up to 7.5 inches of carryforward to be used in an allocation period without penalty. A similar restriction applies to those who have used all their allocation and carryforward— they are penalized for borrowing allocation from the next allocation period. Carryforward was used when allocations first were implemented to incentivize irrigators to conserve water and to avoid a use-it-or-lose-it mentality with regard to the allocation. Moving forward, the district will continue to implement policies to reduce water usage without causing unnecessary harm to the area’s economy.
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TRACKING WATER USE AND LEVELS The Groundwater Management Act of 1976 gave the natural resources districts the authority to regulate groundwater use, but how do we know the effects of this management on the resource we are managing? Here at the Upper Republican Natural Resources District (URNRD), we have water technicians who annually monitor the aquifer levels at approximately 400 wells throughout the district. In addition, there are 15 wells in the district solely dedicated for the measurement of groundwater levels, and 10 of them provide realtime groundwater level data. The URNRD has been collecting data since the 1970s, providing a wealth of information about groundwater levels that inform us about the effect of prior management decisions and the issues that need to be addressed via future management decisions. To read the water levels, the technicians use steel tape measurers and chalk. Before lowering the tape measurer into the well, they chalk the bottom 5 feet or so and check what the water level was the last time the well was measured, so that they have a general idea of how far to lower the tape. Then they send the steel tape down the well until they get to the depth they think the levels will be. With
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IRRIGATION LEADER
TOP: URNRD Conservation Programs Coordinator Mike Nesbitt uses a steel tape to measure depth-to-water at a well. FAR LEFT: Mike Nesbitt reads a flow meter that measures water use on a field in the district. Water is measured at every irrigation well in the district to ensure actual water use complies with URNRD water use allocations. LEFT: A flow meter in the URNRD.
IRRIGATION LEADER
that, they bring the tape back up, which can mean manually reeling up 300–500 feet of steel tape, depending on the well. The reason for chalking up the end of the tape comes into play at this step in the process: Once the tape is up, the technicians look at how much of the chalk is wet to know the depth to water. These recorded depth-to-water levels are then sent to the United States Geological Survey for its records. We keep a record of the measurements at the URNRD as well. Automation that provides us with real-time groundwater level information has been completed on nine of the continuous recorders, three in each county. The information is recorded in 15-minute intervals and can be viewed on the URNRD website. To track water usage so irrigators and the URNRD know how the usage matches up with the district’s allocation, each fall technicians visit every irrigated field to read the meters installed on the wells or pivots. The meters measure the amount of water that has passed through the pivot. The URNRD has required meters on all irrigation wells since 1978, and we believe we are the first entity in the country to meter all agricultural groundwater use. These meters are attached to a turbine that sits inside the pivot pipes, and as water passes through the pipe, the turbine spins and records how much water has been pumped. A series of equations determines how many acre-inches have been pumped, telling irrigators how much water they have used and how much they have left in their allocation. The URNRD is considering the use of telemetry units on all meters in the district. Doing so will make it easier for the URNRD and water users to see how much water has been used, because they will be able to access the information on their phones and computers in real time. Having this information is another tool farmers and the URNRD could use to better track water usage, thus improving irrigation scheduling and reducing water use. IL
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STEWARDS OF THE
LAND
How Haarberg Farms Is Passing Water Management Practices From Generation to Generation
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IRRIGATION LEADER
at haarberg farms,
Farmers Dirk Haarberg and Charles Haarberg at the family farm in Chase County.
IRRIGATION LEADER
using water wisely and protecting water supplies for future generations drive water management. Dirk Haarberg of Haarberg Farms has been farming since 1980, but he started helping his family’s operation from the time he could drive a tractor as a young boy. He farmed alongside his father, William “Eugene” Haarberg, for 34 years until his father’s passing in 2014; Dirk is now joined on the farm by his two sons, Charles and Samuel Haarberg. Dirk had the importance of water management instilled in him by his father, who helped develop the natural resources district (NRD) system and who pushed for water management legislation at the state and federal levels. Eugene was also an active member of the Upper Republican Natural Resources District (URNRD) board of directors from 1971 to 2001. Eugene’s work at the URNRD influenced decisions he made on the farm. “He was always thinking about the allocation. We always wanted to have the proper amount of water on our crop, and we wanted to raise the most amount
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of crop that we could, but we were also very conscientious of how much we used,” Dirk recalled. Although NRD limitations on irrigation have not influenced cropping decisions made on the farm, that has not stopped Haarberg Farms from changing practices to make sure water is used efficiently. They changed from flood irrigation to pivot irrigation and began strip tilling to save water in the early 2000s. These changes have saved a noticeable amount of water. With flood irrigation, there was no option for when to irrigate. “We had quadrants of fields, and we would start watering one, and then we would go to the next, and you had to water them all. It took a whole week to water all our flood. You had no choice, you just had to water unless it rained quite a bit, well over an inch. Now with pivots, if we get half an inch of rain and we know we are using thirtyhundredths a day, we can shut them off for almost 30 hours because we know how much we are using and how much rain we got,” Dirk explained. Having more efficient technology allows for more efficient water use for Haarberg Farms. When asked if and how allocations played a role in the use of new technology on the farm, Dirk replied, “We’ve installed soil probes, and we use agronomists on every single field. We are conscious of how much water we are using throughout the year. We are conscious of how much the crop is using, how much is going out through evaporation, and how much we need, and we are trying to put just a freckle more on than we need. We have to put a little additional on because if a well were to break down, which we have experienced this year with multiple wells, we have to have some time
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to fix that. We don’t want to lose a crop.” New technology has allowed for better accuracy and has saved time. In the past, overwatering was done to make sure the crop was not cut short, but with the use of soil moisture probes, that problem is all but eliminated. Dirk experimented with many different types and brands of soil moisture probes until he found the one that worked best and displayed the data in an easy-to-read way. To help pay for these probes,
Haarberg Farms uses the URNRD cost-share program, and Dirk intends to continue using it due to the benefits the probes have had on his water usage. The URNRD has helped put 430 water-saving probes on more than 56,000 acres throughout the district since the program began in 2011, and water use has been reduced by an estimated 2 inches per acre—over 3 billion gallons total. Dirk has seen consistent yields on his fields with the use of the soil moisture IRRIGATION LEADER
“Our local economy would be completely devastated without irrigation.” —DIRK HAARBERG
Farmer Charles Haarberg at a pivot control panel.
probes, and he hopes that with the help of the program he will soon have one probe on each of his fields. Dirk touched on the topic of the importance of farming and irrigation to the area economy. “Our local economy would be completely devastated without irrigation. Businesses would close. We would have fewer farmers, the people who don’t live here but own land, their cash rents would just plummet and the value of ground IRRIGATION LEADER
would basically just tank,” he stated. With irrigation, Haarberg Farms can better predict their yields because they can keep their crops growing in a uniform pattern. On dryland, the yields vary from year to year and are dependent on the amount of moisture they get. “We are either getting too much moisture or not enough, and we are never happy.” There is no predictability with dryland corn, especially due to district’s semiarid climate. Irrigation allows for
stability and predictability, even in a drought or a year of little moisture, preventing potential economic harm. Working alongside his sons has allowed Dirk to pass on to them his knowledge and strong belief in smart water management. The responsibility of protecting the land and water is important to Haarberg Farms, and responsible use of natural resources is a practice that will continue to be passed through the family’s generations. IL
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Republican River Compact Compliance: From Crisis to Stability As recently as 2012, the Upper Republican Natural Resources District (URNRD) was faced with a stark decision: Shut down groundwater irrigation on thousands and thousands of acres to comply with the Republican River Compact, or move quickly to boost stream flow with an augmentation project. The district and board pursued the latter, constructing the Rock Creek Augmentation Project in Dundy County and laying the groundwork for the Nebraska Cooperative Republican Platte Enhancement Project (NCORPE) Augmentation Project in Lincoln County. Combined, the two projects have prevented the shutdown of about 300,000 irrigated acres annually throughout Nebraska’s portion of the Republican basin for 5 years running and will continue to provide the same protection in the future. The projects are paid for using the occupation tax on irrigation that is paid only by irrigators. Like most stories involving rivers, politics, and large numbers of water users, the story of how we got where we are is a long one. Following are some highlights. Approved by Congress in 1943, the Republican River Compact allocates the average annual water supply of the Republican River among the three states party to the compact in the following manner: 49 percent to Nebraska, 40 percent to Kansas, and 11 percent to Colorado. The amount of water allocated to each state and subject to the percentage splits varies annually depending on stream flows in Republican River tributaries and the mainstem Republican River. In the late 1990s, Kansas sued Nebraska for overusing its compact allocation. A settlement agreement between the states was reached in 2002 that significantly changed the accounting that determined each state’s consumptive water use under the compact. Before the settlement, the accounting included surface water and alluvial groundwater for irrigation, municipal and industrial uses, and evaporation from U.S. Bureau of Reclamation reservoirs. After the 2002 settlement agreement, depletions to stream flow caused by all groundwater use, including upland wells, is included in the calculations. A groundwater model was developed to compute depletions to stream flow caused by groundwater pumping. The state of Nebraska and the natural resources districts (NRDs) in the Republican basin quickly
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moved to develop water management plans to ensure continued compliance with the compact under the new rules. But Mother Nature decided to drop a historically bad drought on the area before the new rules had a chance to begin working. That resulted in noncompliance with the compact in 2005 and 2006. A lawsuit, of course, followed. Thankfully, so did a wetter period that allowed Nebraska and the NRDs to improve their compact compliance plans. The means of maintaining compliance via regulations were severe—essentially, a 60 percent reduction in irrigation throughout Nebraska’s portion of the basin, which would irreparably harm the economy. Knowing this, the URNRD closely studied augmentation as a means of maintaining compliance. Augmentation essentially repurposes groundwater that would be used for irrigation. Irrigated land is retired from production, and a portion of that water is then pumped into tributaries of the Republican River. In 2011–2012, the URNRD built the Rock Creek Augmentation Project, which allowed the URNRD to meet
In 2012, the URNRD installed 24-inch pipe to transport water to Rock Creek in Dundy County.
IRRIGATION LEADER
its compact obligations without shutting down irrigation beginning in 2013. Beginning in 2014, the NCORPE project did the same for the URNRD and three other NRDs in the Republican basin. What about that lawsuit filed by Kansas following the 2005 and 2006 noncompliance? The U.S. Supreme Court in early 2015 approved Nebraska’s compact compliance plans and turned down Kansas’s request to permanently prohibit irrigation on 300,000– 500,000 acres in Nebraska’s portion of the Republican basin. The ruling also prevented Nebraska from being charged with the consumption of groundwater that comes into the Republican basin from the Platte basin. Since then, Nebraska, Kansas, and Colorado have developed a cooperative relationship that has resulted in beneficial agreements for all states. The agreements generally are more focused on meeting the needs of water users and conserving water. Nebraska now has more flexibility in meeting compact obligations while ensuring that Kansas water users have the supplies they are entitled to under the compact. IL
(Left to right): Middle Republican Natural Resources District (NRD) Manager Jack Russell; now-retired Lower Republican NRD Manager Mike Clements; Twin Platte NRD Manager Kent Miller; and Upper Republican NRD Manager Jasper Fanning stand near the outlet of the NCORPE Augmentation Project in Lincoln County.
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Rock Creek Augmentation Project: Repurposing Water for Compliance
Rock Creek, whose flow has been enhanced by an augmentation project, flows through Dundy County on its way to the Republican River.
T
he Rock Creek Augmentation Project is the first stream flow enhancement project of its kind in Nebraska and has helped prevent large-scale irrigation shutdowns in the Upper Republican Natural Resources District (URNRD) since 2013. Ever since the Republican River Compact Settlement of 2002 that included groundwater use in the accounting for compact compliance, the URNRD had studied stream augmentation as a means of offsetting depletions to stream flow caused by groundwater pumping. The alternative to augmentation was a 60 percent reduction in irrigation annually across the URNRD or regular irrigation shutdowns on thousands of acres close to the Republican River and its tributaries. These alternatives naturally caused URNRD staff and board members to support augmentation as an option. Legislation in 2007 that authorized natural resources districts (NRDs) to levy an occupation tax of up to $10 per irrigated acre to enhance stream flow provided the needed funding to implement an augmentation project. Then in 2011, a piece of irrigated property near and north of the headwaters of Rock Creek, a tributary of the North Fork of the Republican River in Dundy County, came on the market. The URNRD purchased the 3,260 irrigated acres with plans to install five augmentation wells that at full capacity could increase stream flow by about 10,500 acre-feet annually. A severe drought hit in 2012, one of the worst in Nebraska history, and it became apparent that the
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project’s capacity would need to be increased. Within about 6 months, the project was expanded to include a total of 10 wells with the ability to pump about 29 cubic feet per second, or about 58 acre-feet per day, for a total of 21,000 acre-feet annually. Water is transported via a 24-inch main pipeline that is approximately 7 miles long. The project was completed in the nick of time: Operations began in early 2013, and the project provided nearly 16,000 acre-feet to fulfill the URNRD’s compact obligations. It was also operated in 2014, 2015, 2017, and it will continue to be used in the future. Because the project was expanded beyond its original scope, the URNRD bought 1,900 more acres in 2013 near the augmentation wellfield and retired them from irrigation. Like the original 3,200 acres, they were planted to native grasses, and their retirement from irrigation is offset for water used via the project. Agreements among Nebraska, Kansas, and Colorado will significantly reduce the amount of water that must be pumped from the Rock Creek project. For instance, in 2013 when the project was first operated, Nebraska and the URNRD got credit for just 69 percent of the water piped into Rock Creek. Now, we receive 100 percent credit. How often the project will have to be operated will depend to a large extent on when it is, and is not, dry. But history indicates the project may be used one-third to one-half the time. IL IRRIGATION LEADER
NCORPE
A Basinwide Tool for Compact Compliance
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fter the Rock Creek Augmentation Project in Dundy County was developed, the Upper Republican Natural Resources District (URNRD) saw a need for additional augmentation capacity to meet its future needs as well as those of other natural resources districts (NRDs) in the Republican and Platte basins. In mid-2012, at the same time the Rock Creek project was being constructed, state of Nebraska officials saw that massive regulatory action would be needed in 2013 to maintain compliance with the Republican River Compact. Officials with the state Department of Natural Resources were aware of a large block of irrigated land for sale that straddled the Platte and Republican basins just south of North Platte and floated the idea of a joint project between the NRDs in the Republican basin and the Twin Platte NRD, to help that district meet its obligations on the Platte River. Sensing the need for and interest in the project, the URNRD moved quickly. Three days after state officials suggested the project, the URNRD Board of Directors approved a letter of intent to purchase the 19,000 acres, about 16,000 of which were irrigated. The property had an interesting history: Located on the southern fringe of the Nebraska Sandhills, it had been developed in the early 1980s by Prudential Insurance and was a motivating factor behind Nebraska’s passage of a ban on corporate farming. It was also the largest contiguous irrigated farm in Nebraska.
IRRIGATION LEADER
The outlet of the NCORPE Augmentation Project.
By mid-October 2012, there was a contract to purchase the property and the Nebraska Cooperative Republican Platte Enhancement Project (NCORPE) had been formed. In concept, it was the same as the Rock Creek project— essentially a water repurposing project, irrigated acres would be retired to offset water that would be pumped into a tributary of the Republican River. This time, it was Medicine Creek. Instead of 21,000 acre-feet annually like Rock Creek, NCORPE would have a capacity of about 65,000 acre-feet annually and could provide enough water each day, when operated at full capacity, to cover a quarter section of land with 1 foot of water. Thirty augmentation wells were equipped and tied into a 48-inch, 6-mile-long main pipeline. Construction on the project began in 2013 and was finished in early 2014. The state and the NRDs faced a large compact compliance deficit in 2014—more than 37,000 acre-feet was needed from the project to prevent an irrigation
shutdown on about 250,000 acres in the Republican basin. The project provided this amount, and it was operated in 2015, 2016, and 2017 to prevent similar irrigation shutdowns in the Republican basin. Agreements among Nebraska, Kansas, and Colorado will reduce the amount of water that must be provided by the project in the future, and history indicates it may have to be operated one-third to one-half of the time. The project is in an area of abundant groundwater—the saturated thickness of the aquifer ranges from 400–600 feet. In addition to being the largest known stream flow enhancement project in the United States, it is the largest known rangeland restoration project. All the formerly irrigated acres have been seeded to native grasses, and the land is actively managed to restore it to its natural state. NCORPE also offers more than 5,100 acres for public hunting and another 1,800 acres for hiking, biking, and trail riding. IL
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Water Quality
The URNRD Water Testing System
When the natural resources districts (NRDs) were first established, they were given the job of protecting not only water quantity but also water quality. Throughout the Upper Republican Natural Resources District (URNRD), 250 wells are tested each year for contaminants and public water supplies are checked routinely to ensure water quality. The URNRD Water Testing Program began in 1974, and there
along with other samples from irrigation wells, is used at the URNRD to monitor nitrate levels and their trends. The majority of the district does not have high nitrate problems, but for the select areas that do, we have a regulation system in place designed to keep those levels from increasing. The nitrate program is being updated to help monitor those levels better and change regulations to address high nitrate areas.
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are two separate testing events that take place: one in winter, and one in summer. There are currently 378 registered domestic wells in the district, and the district will sample approximately 76 wells each year on a 5-year cycle, so all registered domestic wells will be sampled every 5 years. In the summer sampling, 63 irrigation wells are tested and sent to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln for its water quality database. This information,
IRRIGATION LEADER
A water sample is taken from an irrigation well in the URNRD.
For the private and livestock wells that are not included in the Water Testing Program, the URNRD has a districtwide water quality program that provides water test kits to individuals of the district free of charge. The kits test for multiple contaminants to ensure the safety of drinking water and livestock wells. The main contaminant the kits detect is nitrate, because of the health risks it poses. If the nitrate levels exceed the nitrate standard, there are ways to treat the water that will make it safe to drink. The URNRD advises that its residents take advantage of this free program. IL IRRIGATION LEADER
The URNRD is home to several large feedlots that benefit from corn production in the district.
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Wheat harvest in the URNRD.
Reaping What Was Sown Harvest in the URNRD
Harvest means long days and nights for the farmers of the Upper Republican Natural Resources District (URNRD). They are out in the field before the sun comes up, and they come home long after it has set. Due to the district being in a semiarid region where annual average precipitation is 17–20 inches, there can be big differences between irrigated and dryland corn yields, depending on how much rain fell throughout the summer. High yields are extremely important to the farmers and landowners and also to those who rely on crops to feed their animals, in the case of corn used for feed. Farming is of course heavily dependent on precipitation, but dryland even more so than irrigated. If irrigated corn is in need of moisture, a pivot can be turned on to replace the needed rain, but when it comes to dryland, that corn is completely dependent on the rain to get moisture. In a year of little rain or drought, that corn could die or underproduce, leaving the farmer at a severe loss. The differences in dryland and irrigated corn yields is substantial in the URNRD due to the climate. In 2016, the average total bushels per acre of irrigated corn in the district, using data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, was 196.4 bushels per acre, while average dryland corn yields were only 85 bushels per acre. That difference is highlighted even more
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when the price of corn per bushel is factored in. If corn prices were at $4.00 per bushel, 1 bushel of average irrigated corn in the district would be worth $785.60, while dryland would be worth $340.00. Of the 1.73 million acres that make up the URNRD, 430,000 acres are irrigated cropland and 388,000 acres are nonirrigated cropland. Although low in population, the three counties in the URNRD are big players not only in the state but also the national farm economy, rendering their stability important to the economic and organizational infrastructure. The combined market value of products sold in URNRD’s three counties, according to the most recent U.S. Department of Agriculture Census of Agriculture, is approximately $840 million. Perkins County is ranked 3rd among Nebraska’s 93 counties in corn for grain production and 38th among the 3,079 counties in the United States. It ranks 5th among Nebraska’s 93 counties and 209th among the 3,079 counties in the United States in wheat for grain production. Chase County is 20th in Nebraska for corn for grain production, 13th in wheat production and 15th in corn for silage. Dundy County is ranked 14th for wheat production and 23rd in corn for silage. Irrigation is key to the economic prosperity of the URNRD. Irrigation is extremely important to farmers, to businesses, and to the population of the district. Without it, nearly everyone in the district would suffer, because just about everyone in the district is affected by agriculture in one way or another. IL IRRIGATION LEADER
A pivot rests in the spring, waiting for the time that young corn needs water to grow.
Chemigation and the Prevention of Contamination Before producers can apply chemicals such as fertilizer via their pivots through a process known as chemigation, Upper Republican Natural Resources District (URNRD) technicians inspect every pivot in the district that will be used to chemigate—3,300 wells total. The technicians make sure that the check valve installed on each pivot is working correctly. The job of the check valve is to ensure that no water gets back down into the well and the groundwater supply once it has been mixed with the applied chemicals. The state of Nebraska passed legislation to help ensure that backflow of chemicals from irrigation water application does not contaminate groundwater and surface water. This legislation requires anyone who chemigates to have a permit. These permits are received through the natural resources districts, which have the power to approve or deny the permits. The permit is issued to the legal landowner. The person doing the chemigating must also have a chemigation applicator certification, to ensure proper training for proper application. State law requires chemigation inspections once every 3 years, but the URNRD performs the inspections every year. This process IRRIGATION LEADER
can be time consuming from start to finish, but the district feels it is worth it to protect groundwater from contamination. The job of verifying that every check valve is working correctly is one of the most important jobs the technicians do. If a check valve were to fail, chemical could be flushed back into the well, thus contaminating the water supply. If our technicians fail a check valve during an inspection, the applicator is not allowed to apply chemical via the pivot until the check valve is replaced or fixed. After that, the technician must go back out and perform another inspection to verify that the problem was fixed and the valve is functioning correctly. Should an applicator chemigate before an inspection is done or without a permit, there may be a permit suspension, meaning chemigation would not be allowed. There are six different pieces of safety equipment on chemigation systems, each one serving a very important task and serving as backup in case another part of the system fails. When these parts are working properly, there is no contamination of the groundwater from the chemigation system. IL
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FEATURED BOARD MEMBER: Terry Martin
URNRD Chairman Terry Martin.
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erry Martin has provided key leadership during a time of historic activity for both the Upper Republican Natural Resources District (URNRD) and the Republican basin as a whole. He is currently chairman of the URNRD Board of Directors and chairman of the Nebraska Cooperative Republican Platte Enhancement Project (NCORPE) board. Terry, who farms near Benkelman, has been on the URNRD board since 2003. Terry is an engineer by training, and his background has made him a valuable resource on the board when it developed the Rock Creek Augmentation Project in Dundy County and NCORPE in Lincoln County. He was a great asset to the board during the development of these projects because early on, he had a strong grasp of how the projects conceptually met the district’s goals of maintaining compliance with the Republican River Compact. Terry’s farming background and strong knowledge
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of water issues, combined with his technical and practical knowledge of how projects and initiatives relate to agriculture, contribute importantly to the district’s efforts to maintain compact compliance. During his 14 years on the Board, Terry has not been afraid to take on big tasks and projects for the conservation of natural resources and for the benefit of the state. When the Upper Republican, Middle Republican, Lower Republican, and Twin Platte Natural Resources Districts formed NCORPE, Terry knew the project would be costly, but he also knew it would help keep Nebraska in compliance with the Republican River Compact. Despite the unknown path ahead, Terry accepted the chairmanship of the NCORPE board, which has met regularly since the inception of the project and tackled multiple issues related to the project, some of which are new to the districts. Terry has also provided a steady hand on the URNRD board
as it developed significant, and sometimes controversial, changes to its groundwater regulations. For the first time in its history, during the 2013–2017 allocation period, the URNRD board implemented restrictions on the use of what is known as carryforward, which is unused allocation farmers have banked since groundwater regulations were first imposed in the late 1970s. This task was not easy, but Terry helped bring the proposal to fruition because he saw how important this change was to preserving water. He was the voice of compromise as the board worked through the issues related to the rule change. Ultimately, the vote by the board to approve the change was unanimous. Terry is always eager to help the natural resources district system; he has shown this not only at the district level, but also during his time as president and vice president of the Nebraska Association of Resources Districts board as well. IL IRRIGATION LEADER
Staff JASPER FANNING General Manager NATE JENKINS Assistant Manager BRUCE CURTIS Assistant Manager DEB HAYES Office Manager/Administrative Assistant MIKE NESBITT Conservation Programs Coordinator TODD BURRELL Conservation Technician JOHN LEMON Conservation Technician COOPER BOLLMAN Conservation Technician DWAIN CURTIS Conservation Technician WILMA ZIMBELMAN Receptionist DANIELLE HAARBERG Information and Education Specialist JULIA FRANCK Water Program Specialist REBECCA SPADY Imperial Field Office Secretary PATRICIA CLOUGH Grant Field Office Secretary
(308) 882–5173 IRRIGATION LEADER
urnrd@urnrd.org
urnrd.org
/upperrepubnrd
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