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Ground Water
Water is without a doubt our most precious natural resource. Without it, life does not exist. The UNWNRD takes its responsibilities to improve our water quality and quantity very seriously. In 1998, the UNWNRD adopted its Five Year Water Programs Plan to direct this cause. The first phase involved public information meetings in all four county seats to describe just what this plan entails. These meetings provided interested citizens of the District with the opportunity to learn more about water issues in the area and the UNWNRD’s plans concerning those issues. Updated information on the status of our ground water resource is available at the UNWNRD office.
What is a Ground Water Management Area?Effective July 1, 1998, the entire Upper Niobrara White Natural Resources District was designated a Groundwater Management Area (GWMA) for information and education purposes. This GWMA identifies where problem areas may exist with the quality of our ground water. It does not single out landowners for illegal chemigation or wasteful irrigation practices. Through detailed research and analysis and the collaborative efforts of several agencies, the UNWNRD is able to monitor the District's ground water quality. Specific areas in our District have been identified as high priority due to the higher risk they have for ground water contamination. This risk is due to a combination of factors including farming practices, the natural geology of the aquifer underlying those areas and the depth to ground water at those points. The establishment of the GWMA provides the UNWNRD with the information necessary to determine solutions to water quality and quantity problems in northwestern Nebraska. Through the cooperative efforts of citizens, local businesses, and government agencies we can protect our most precious natural resource.
To enact the GWMA, the UNWNRD devised some basic rules and regulations:
1) Ground Water Quality Study - The UNWNRD must analyze ground water for nitrate-nitrogen in all irrigation wells pumping greater than 50 gallons per minute. Each well will be sampled once every four years. The landowner or operator must allow the sample to be collected and analyzed by District staff using approved methods. Information from the analysis will give the operator knowledge of usable nitrogen already present in the ground water.
2) Well Permits - Any person intending to construct a water well on land he/she owns, leases, or controls within the District must apply for a permit through the UNWNRD before construction begins. Exemptions include test holes or dewatering wells with an intended use of ninety (90) days or less. Water wells designed and constructed to pump fifty (50) gallons per minute do not require a permit. Most wells for domestic or livestock watering purposes pump less than 50 gallons per minute, and therefore do not require permits. However, multiple wells individually pumping less than fifty gallons per minute but collectively pumping more than fifty gallons per minute are considered a single well if they are connected together or otherwise serve a single purpose. View 2 page Well Permit Application
For more information on well permitting or the Ground Water Management Area, contact Lynn Webster at (308) 432-6190.
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