Phase II Management Areas
Currently the Lower Platte North NRD has two Phase II Ground Water Management Areas, near Bellwood and Richland/Schuyler. Both areas have nitrate levels averaging above 8 parts per million -- the trigger level for entering Phase II.
High nitrate levels in drinking water can be dangerous for infants, pregnant or nursing mothers, and people with respiratory or immune problems. The district's GWMA is intended to help prevent nitrate contamination of groundwater.
Phase II Requirements
Under the Phase II designation, there are new requirements for producers who apply nitrogen fertilizer:
- Groundwater analyses, deep soil samples and fertilizer application reports required annually. (Report forms are available for download in PDF format here.)
- Commercial nitrogen fertilizer permitted on non-sandy soils from Nov. 1 to March 1 only if an approved inhibitor is used at recommended rates (operators must furnish certification from their dealer that an approved inhibitor was used).
- Water applications must be monitored to allow for better management of fertilizer application and to control leaching of nitrate (phased in over 6 years).
- Amount of organic fertilizer (liquid or dried manure, sludge, or composted organic waste) allowed per acre per year will be based on: method of collection and storage; land application method; types of crops or cover crop; soil types; landscape features; source of manure; and previous manure application rates. Amount and timing of applications must be adjusted to the nitrate concentration in the soil profile and groundwater content. Application allowed on frozen soils on a site-by-site basis only.
Producers are also required to become certified in nitrogen management once every four years, as they were in Phase I of the GWMA.
More Information
- For more information about specific Phase II requirements, contact Water Resources Specialist Russell Oaklund.
- Download the Phase II Information & Forms packet as a PDF here.
- Get more information on ground water quality rules & regulations here.