New Viaduct Available for Download

Feb. 2, 2010

The new issue of the Viaduct is now available for download in PDF format. Stories in this issue include:

• Lake Wanahoo Dam 90% Complete
• NRD Budget
• Prague Qualifies for National Land Judging
• Area Conservationists Honored at Banquet

... and more.

Download (PDF, 1.5 MB)

For more information or to subscribe to the Viaduct, go here.

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Online Ordering Now Available for Soil & Water Stewardship Week

Jan. 31, 2010

Soil & Water Stewardship Week 2010 will be celebrated April 25-May 2. The theme this year is "Conservation Habits = Healthy Habitats."

Any church or school in the Lower Platte North NRD is eligible to order Soil & Water Stewardship Week materials at no cost. Orders are due by March 5 and will be delivered in mid-April.

Order Online Now

More About Soil & Water Stewardship Week

Certification Class Schedule for 2010

December 22, 2009

All individuals (owners, operators, producers, crop consultants) who engage in production agriculture within the NRD must be certified with the district every four years. Free certification classes are held at various locations throughout the district January-March each year. The class schedule for 2010 is now available; follow the link below for the full schedule and more information.

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Full Story

Conservation Efforts Recognized at NRD Annual Banquet

November 30, 2009

Area conservationists were honored at the Lower Platte North Natural Resources District’s Annual Banquet on November 29 at the Klein Center in Brainard. Each year, the NRD gives awards for outstanding efforts in conservation of our soil and water resources. Award winners are chosen by NRD staff and directors.

This year's award winners included Kurt Skillstad of Albion, Aaron Nygren of Coflax County Extension, Steve Satra of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, and Brach Johnson of Butler County NRCS.

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Order Trees Online Now for Spring 2010

November 17, 2009

The Lower Platte North NRD is now accepting online orders for handplant trees for spring 2010. You can order your trees now and they will be delivered to your local Natural Resources Conservation Office next spring.

The LPNNRD sells trees to anyone within the district. Seedlings are two years old and approximately 12" to 18" tall. Handplant orders must be purchased in multiples of 25.

• Online Order Form
• More Info on Tree Planting
  

Online Order Form
More Info

Second Round of Variance Request Accepted Until Dec. 15 for Limited Development in Stay Areas

October 26, 2009

The Lower Platte North NRD is taking a second round of variance requests for new wells and expansion of irrigated acres in its former “fully-appropriated” stay area.

Irrigators were initially able to apply for variance requests for new wells and/or expansion of irrigated acres in the former stay area from August 6 to September 15. That initial variance request period resulted in applications for less than half of the district’s allotted 5,000 acres for 2009-2010, so the NRD decided to hold another round.

The deadline to apply for variance requests in this second round will be December 15th, 2009. The NRD will issue variances for up to 2,750 acres. If those acres are all applied for in this round, another round will NOT be held and irrigators will have to wait until fall 2010 until they can apply again.

More...

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Prague, Waverly, Norris Qualify for State Land Judging

October 9, 2009

Land judging teams from Prague, Waverly and Norris are headed for state competition after placing in the top tier at the East Central Land Judging Contest, held Oct. 8 in Butler County.

The annual Land Judging contests are regional field competitions where FFA students compete to identify soil characteristics and suggested land practices at four different sites chosen by a soil scientist. Students work individually but are scored in teams of four, and the top teams in each region advance to state competition in November.

• Full Story
• Photo Gallery (opens in new window)

New Recreation Areas Map Available

August 20, 2009

The popular "NRD Recreation Areas" brochure has been updated for 2009. This oversize full-color brochure features maps and photos of NRD recreation areas across the state (including 11 new ones added since the last update), along with directions to each area and detailed lists of the facilities and fish species. Whether you're looking for a quiet fishing hole, a hiking area, a place to hunt, or a scenic spot to enjoy a picnic, chances are you can find what you're looking for at one of the many recreation areas featured in the brochure.

You can order a free copy of the brochure here.

NRD Recreation Areas Map

NRD Adopts Updated Groundwater Rules & Regulations

July 15, 2009

The Lower Platte North NRD has adopted updates to its Ground Water Rules & Regulations that would allow limited irrigation development in areas that were placed under a stay on new wells and expansion of irrigated acres last December.

The new policy will limit development of new irrigated acres in the stay areas to 2,500 acres a year or a total of 10,000 acres over the four-year period running from January 1, 2009 to December 12, 2012. The policy will officially take effect on August 6.

The new policy will need to be approved by the Department of Natural Resources prior to any new well permits being granted. However, the NRD will soon begin accepting variance requests and anticipates that final determination of well permit allocations will be made beginning September 15.

• Download Updated Ground Water Rules & Regulations (PDF)

Check back soon for variance request forms and other information on applying for well permits in the stay areas.

More Information

New Funds Available for Buffer Strips

July 8, 2009

New cost-share funds are being made available by the Nebraska Department of Agriculture through the Nebraska Buffer Strip Program. These funds are available to existing buffer strip contracts that have expired and not yet been approved for renewal, contracts that will expire between now and September 30, 2010, and new buffer strip contracts (completely new acres or existing buffers not currently enrolled in the Buffer Strip Program.

These funds will be disbursed on a first-come, first-served basis. If you are interested in applying for buffer strip cost-share funds or renewing an existing contract, please contact Eric Gottschalk at (402) 443-4675 or egottschalk@lpnnrd.org as soon as possible.

• More Information on the Nebraska Buffer Strip Program(Nebraska Department of Ag)

Nebraska Buffer Strip Program

Draft Rules & Regulations for Ground Water Management Area

June 10, 2009

The Lower Platte North NRD is in the process of updating Ground Water Management Area rules & regulations to provide a framework for allocating new well permits in areas of the district that are under the moratorium declared in December 2008. (More info on that moratorium here.)

A draft copy of the proposed changes is now available for download in PDF format, with strike-throughs and other editing marks left intact so that the changes can be compared to the original text. A final copy of the proposed changes should be posted next week.

A public hearing on the proposed changes will be held on Friday, July 10 at 5:30 pm at the NRD offices in Wahoo.

• Download Draft Copy of GWMA Rules & Regs Update (PDF, 511kb)

Well Moratorium Info

320 Students Attend Spring Conservation Sensation

May 7, 2009

Three hundred and twenty elementary students from 10 area schools got an up-close look at nature on Wednesday when they attended the annual Spring Conservation Sensation at Czechland Lake near Prague.

The students rotated through 8 different hands-on activities designed to teach them about natural resources and the importance of conservation. Nearly 6,000 students have attended the Conservation Sensation since it began in 1991.

• Full Story
• Photo Gallery (will open in new window)
• GPS Photo Gallery (photo locations plotted on map using GPS coordinates from camera)

More information on the Conservation Sensation.

New Helicopter Flights Scheduled for Geologic Study in Swedeburg Area

April 8 , 2009

As part of the Eastern Nebraska Water Resources Assessment (ENWRA), an upcoming geologic study in the Swedeburg area will use a method known as a helicopter electromagnetic (HEM) survey, capable of quickly mapping subsurface geology over a large area. A HEM survey was conducted between Gretna and Ashland in March 2007. The upcoming survey will be located between Wahoo and Ceresco and is scheduled to begin the week of April 20, 2009. The approximate flight area for the study is shown on the map below.

During a HEM survey, instruments which transmit electromagnetic signals are suspended beneath a helicopter in a horizontal tube. The helicopter flies at an altitude of 100 to 300 feet and will follow a preplanned route using a global positioning system (GPS) to provide optimal coverage of the area. These flights will pose no threat to people, facilities or homes. There is also no direct threat to livestock. The presence of a helicopter, however, can be startling to people and animals, especially confined animals such as corralled horses and poultry.

The helicopter will not fly directly over cities or towns and will also try to identify and avoid flying directly over corralled livestock. However, if you have livestock that would be startled by helicopter noise, or if you have any questions about the pending study, please contact Water Department Manager Larry Angle at (402) 443-4675 at langle@lpnnrd.org.

Public Hearing on Platte River Uplands Subarea

April 8 , 2009

The Lower Platte North NRD will hold a public hearing on April 13 at our office (511 Commercial Park Road in Wahoo) to take testimony from the public on the temporary stay on the construction of new wells and expansion of irrigated acres in the Platte River Uplands subarea.

The temporary stay will expire on June 6, 2009. The NRD will take testimony on whether:

• the temporary stay should be made permanent,
• a second temporary stay should be declared, or
• the temporary stay should be allowed to lapse.

The hearing will begin at 6:00 p.m. on Monday, April 13.

This public hearing will be for the Lower Platte North NRD temporary stay for the Platte River Uplands subarea only, and does NOT address the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources decision on the appropriation status of the Lower Platte River Basin.

If you would like more information on the Platte River Uplands Subarea stay, please contact us at (402) 443-4675 or lpnnrd@lpnnrd.org.

Department of Natural Resources Reverses Fully Appropriated Determination

April 2 , 2009

On March 30, 2009, the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources reversed its preliminary determination that the Lower Platte River Basin was fully appropriated.
(Department of Natural Resources Press Release [PDF])

However, the NRD is required to formulate a plan for allocating new well permits in the affected area and the Department of Natural Resources will need to approve that plan before any new well permits in the current stay area can be granted. The district is anticipating that this process will not be completed until mid-summer 2009 at the earliest. Therefore, the stay for the "hydrologically connected" area (red areas on map below) will remain in effect for the time being.

This does not affect the NRD's prior moratorium areas (yellow areas on map), which will remain in effect regardless of the status of the rest of the basin. The green areas on the map are not currently under a stay or moratorium and the NRD is still accepting well permits from those areas.

More Information on Fully-Appropriated Determination

Report: Findings for Lower Platte Do Not Support Fully Appropriated Status

March 13 , 2009

A recently completed scientific and legal review by nine Natural Resources Districts (including the Lower Platte North NRD) has concluded that the preliminary determination that the Lower Platte River Basin is fully appropriated is not supported by the science and is in conflict with the State’s regulations.

These findings were presented at a public hearing on the basin's appropriation status on March 12 in Fremont. A press release, the full report and a letter to Nebraska Department of Natural Resources Director Brian Dunnigan are available using the links below.

• Press Release
• Letter to DNR Director Brian Dunnigan (PDF)
• Lower Platte Basin Technical Review (PDF)

More Information on Fully-Appropriated Determination