Upper
Republican Natural Resources District
Board of
Directors Regular Meeting
March 4, 2008
at 7:30 p.m.
Agendas
were mailed to all Board Members and all others requesting agendas. Agendas were posted in the NRD Office in
Imperial, the NRCS Offices in Grant and Imperial, and the FSA Office in Benkelman.
The meeting was announced over
KADL-Imperial, KRVN-Lexington and KOGA-Ogallala and published in area
newspapers.
Board Members Present: Jeff Wallin, Tom Terryberry,
Mick Strand, Tim Schilke, Mike Mosel, Terry Martin, Dean Large, Donn
Gengenbach, Tom Gaschler, Kerry Bernhardt.
Board Members Absent: Greg Pelster
NRD Staff: Jasper Fanning, Dirk Dinnel and
Deb Hayes.
NRCS Staff: Nadine Bishop.
Others present: Traci Witthuhn, Myron Harms,
Kevin Harms, Gerald Coates, and Steven Grams.
Information mailed to
Directors:
Water
request information Report
of District applications, contracts and agreements
Variance
information Marla
Smith funding request
Information distributed at
Board meeting:
Agenda Variance
application
Minutes
of February 12, 2008 Regular Board meeting Report
of District applications,
Financial
reports contracts and agreements
NRCS
report and information Republican
River Basin Coalition
NSWCP
summary of practices Funding
request
Water
transfer request
Vice
Chairman Martin announced that the Open Meetings Act is posted by the door if
anyone would like to review it.
Vice
Chairman Martin called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m.
OPEN FORUMS:
Guests,
NRCS staff, Board members and NRD staff were introduced.
There
were no comments during the public open comment period.
MINUTES:
The
Board reviewed the February 12, 2008 Regular Board meeting.
Roll
call vote: 8-yes, 2-abstain, 1-absent. Motion carried.
Voting
yes: Bernhardt, Gaschler, Gengenbach, Large, Martin, Schilke, Strand,
Terryberry, and Wallin. Abstain: Mosel and Terryberry. Absent: Pelster.
FINANCIAL REPORT:
The
Manager presented the Financial Reports to the Board.
Roll
call vote: 10-yes, 1-absent. Motion carried.
NRCS REPORT:
Nadine
Bishop gave the NRCS report this month.
Nadine reported on the SAFE (Safe Acres For (wildlife Enhancement) which
is a new conservation reserve program. This practice is to meet the wildlife
habitat needs of targeted species. Nadine reported on the Information and
Education activities that will be held in the area. Nadine and Jasper discussed
the NSWCP guidelines. There are
suggested changes on the handout and the biggest change is that cost share has
not been provided before for individuals to go to a low pressure drop nozzle
package if the wouldn’t also remove their end gun. Jasper recommended the Board review these
practices and this will be an agenda item for the April 1, 2008 Regular Board
meeting. Nadine did report for Roger Stockton that work is continuing on the
invasive species along the Republican River.
Roll
call vote: 10-yes, 1-absent. Motion carried.
GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT/RULES
AND REGULATIONS.
Jasper
reviewed the request from Larry Schilke and Gene Moreland Land Company for a
water transfer of 145 acre feet from Schilke’s Pool # C-171 740 to Moreland’s
Pool #C-72 839 for the 2007 allocation usage year.
Roll
call vote: 10-yes, 1-absent. Motion carried.
VARIANCE COMMITTEE:
Mick Strand gave the Variance Committee report. Kevin and Myron Harms is requesting a
variance to move the well from the NW ¼
of Section 17, Township 11, Range 37 to the NW ¼ of Section 29, Township 11,
Range 37 and abandon the original well. It was noted that the transfer would
not be in violation of the compact settlement agreement or Nebraska law.
§
Strand moved to approve
the variance request of Kevin and Myron Harms to move well (G-041762) from the
NW ¼ of Section 17, Township 11, Range 37 to the NW ¼ of Section 29, Township
11, Range 37 and abandon the well or convert the well in the
NW ¼ of Section 17, Township 11, Range 37 to a
livestock well and the capacity of the new well must remain the same or be
less, the irrigated acres must remain the same or be less, the allocation will
transfer to the new well and variance request will expire December 31, 2009.
Seconded by Gengenbach.
Discussion.
Roll
call vote: 9-yes, 1-no, 1-absent. Motion carried.
Voting
yes: Bernhardt, Gaschler, Gengenbach, Martin, Mosel, Schilke, Strand,
Terryberry and Wallin. Voting no: Large. Absent: Pelster.
REPORT OF DISTRICT
APPLICATIONS, CONTRACTS AND AGREEMENTS:
The
Board reviewed the District applications, contracts and agreements.
§ Large moved to approve the
District applications, contracts and agreements dated March 4, 2008 which
include the NSWCP applications, expedited transfer applications, pooling
contracts and the Board of Educational Lands and Funds. Seconded by Strand.
Roll
call vote: 9-yes, 1-abstain, 1-absent. Motion carried.
REPUBLICAN RIVER MEETING
REPORT:
Jasper reported on the Compact meeting that was held
in Imperial. The surface water coalition expressed concern that with the
current IMP’s that they don’t have enough of a defined roll in the decision
making process as far as basin wide planning and IMP planning. They felt that
the NRD’s should be doing things so they had more water in the future there would be more water to lease to the NRD’s when
it was dry. They would like to have a meeting with the Irrigation Districts and
NRD managers to try and work on some of these issues. A meeting like this already
took place as Senator Christensen wanted to talk about his bill LB 1041 to get
all the different parties together to see what some of the issues were in
protecting water. The surface water
irrigation districts do not feel that water should not be protected from them
as they feel they have been harmed by pumping, so no water whether it was put
in the river for regulation or any other means should be protected.
Jasper
reported that the Special Compact meeting for Nebraska, Kansas and Colorado
will be held March 11th and 12 in Kansas City at the Holiday Inn KCI
& Expo Center.
The
Board discussed the wells that are being drilled in Colorado and the water that
is being delivered into the river.
The
augmentation study report has not yet been completed by the engineering firm
and we hope to have a draft report by March 14th so that it can be
reviewed and revised prior to the April meeting.
LEGAL COUNSEL REPORT:
There
was no legal counsel report and no new information on the Friends of the River
lawsuit.
MANAGER’S REPORT:
Traci
Witthuhn gave the Republican River Basin Coalition report. Traci reported on
the financial report and upcoming events of the Coalition. The IWMPPF proposals are due by March 31,
2008 and the Coalition is seeking funds for three projects. The projects are for an augmentation
engineering study which is the next phase of the stream flow augmentation
study, a Republican River GPS study which would obtain GPS equipment for each
NRD for a more accurate survey of the river and will allow for precise modeling
and also a Water Balance study for quantifying water supplies and water uses
within the basin to give a better idea of the relationship between surface and
groundwater. Jasper reviewed LB
1094/AM2036 and which is a new fund set up for the NRD’s to borrow money from
the state to pay the irrigation districts.
Jasper
reported that a joint Board Retreat with Upper, Middle and Lower Republican for
March 17th from 10:00 until 3:00 CT at NPPD in North Platte. There
will be a presentation on a water balance study. Jim Goeke and Dave Cookson
have been asked to come to this Retreat.
There
is no new information on surface water leases or the new building project.
INFORMATION AND EDUCATION:
The
Board reviewed the funding request from Marla Smith for SCORE TAC camp.
§ Terryberry moved to donate
$2500.00 to SCORE TAC camp. Seconded by
Strand.
Discussion.
Roll
call vote: 9-yes, 1-abstain, 1-absent. Motion carried.
STATE ASSOCIATION:
Terry
Martin attended the State Association meeting and gave a report on current
activities.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS:
Mike
Mosel gave a report on the NACD conference he attended last month.
Vice
Chairman Martin adjourned the meeting at 9:17 p.m. The next Regular Board meeting will be
Tuesday, April 1, 2008 at the NRD Office in Imperial starting at 7:30 p.m.
Respectfully
submitted
Tom
Terryberry
Secretary/Treasurer