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NRD News and Events

NRD PROVIDES TOOL FOR ACCURATE WATER USE ON CROPS

Monday, July 17, 2023

With irrigation season in full swing, it’s important having all the tools and information available to help determine how much water is needed to keep crops going and conserve water as area producers roll into the new 2023-2027 allocation period.The Upper Republican NRD ha...

Automated flowmeters assist irrigators

Thursday, June 22, 2023

The tools help NRDs and producers better track irrigation efficiency and water utilization.Water is on the top of every producer’s mind this year, especially among irrigators.One way that Nebraska works to better conserve water is through the work of Natural Resources Dist...

Nebraska lawmakers endorse $575 million Perkins County canal project

Thursday, May 4, 2023

Martha StoddardMay 4, 2023LINCOLN — Plans to build a $574.5 million canal-and-reservoir system to draw water from the South Platte River got a vote of approval from Nebraska lawmakers Thursday.Senators rejected a proposal to scale back the canal project, with 32 senators v...

NDEE Extends Private Well Reverse Osmosis Rebate Program

Thursday, April 13, 2023

The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE) has extended the Private Well Reverse Osmosis Rebate Program.The initial application period opened January 1, 2023 and closed March 31, 2023. Upon reaching the initial close date of March 31, 2023, NDEE received 92 app...

NEW FIVE-YEAR NRD RULES GO INTO EFFECT NEXT MONTH

Wednesday, April 12, 2023

JAN SCHULTZ, THE IMPERIAL REPUBLICANBoard members of the Upper Republican NRD approved the district’s water rules for the next five years.The action came at Tuesday’s regular board meeting on an 11-0 vote.The adopted rules will be in effect in the upcoming irrigation sea...

DNR: Perkins County Canal found feasible, but route study hardly begun

Tuesday, March 28, 2023

Todd von KampenNorth Platte Telegraph – March 28, 2023Keith County residents shouldn’t read too much from a map in a state-ordered feasibility study showing a possible Perkins County Canal route in Nebraska, according to three state and local natural resources officials.

Proposed NRD Rules Changes Go To Hearing

Monday, February 13, 2023

Proposed changes to water-use regulations including the 2023-2027 allocation will have a public hearing on March 14 before a final vote by the Upper Republican NRD Board of Directors.The proposal from the board that will have a public hearing at 9 a.m. on the 14th includes a...

Funds Available to Help Restore and Protect Rangeland

Tuesday, February 7, 2023

Nebraska producers have funding available to help address the spread of invasive woody vegetation on rangeland. Landowners should apply at their local NRCS field office by Feb. 17, 2023, for funding to adopt management practices that help treat the spread of Eastern redcedar...

The U.S. EPA is proposing to make the most significant changes to Rodenticides in 15 years

Monday, January 30, 2023

ALL rodenticides to be Restricted Use Pesticides (RUP)There will be no more General Use Rozol Pocket Gopher Bait, for example. Cancellation of spot/scatter and broadcast applications Cannot be made directly to food or feed crops;May only be made using tamper-resist...

Chemigation program works with partners to protect water

Friday, January 6, 2023

The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy’s (NDEE) Chemigation Program works to ensure that those using irrigation systems to apply fertilizers and pesticides do not contaminate sources of irrigation water.The Chemigation Program works with local Natural Resou...

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Regional/National Water News

Nebraska Water Center researchers conduct statewide project to characterize nitrogen transformation beneath ground surface

08/12/2023

Surface soil, the deeper vadose zone, and groundwater are all interconnected and of particular importance due to Nebraska’s agricultural practices and reliance on groundwater for multiple uses. The vadose zone refers to the unsaturated zone above the water table, where...Read more

Disaster declared in 55 Nebraska counties because of drought

04/06/2023

More than half of Nebraska's counties have been designated as primary natural disaster areas because of the ongoing drought. The United States Department of Agriculture on Wednesday announced the designation for 55 of the state's 93 counties, which makes farmers and...Read more

Continued below-average precipitation reduces groundwater levels, report shows

04/05/2023

by Geitner Simmons | IANR Media Groundwater levels have declined in most of Nebraska following multiple years of below-average precipitation, University of Nebraska–Lincoln scientists found in a new statewide analysis. About three-quarters of the 4,787 observation wells...Read more

Feds slap restrictions on more than 1,000 miles of Keystone pipeline after Kansas oil spill

03/08/2023

By Celia Llopis-Jepsen, KCUR March 8, 2023, 4 p.m Oil spills on the Keystone pipeline that runs from Canada to Texas are becoming more frequent and serious, federal regulators said Tuesday. So the U.S. Department of Transportation ordered Canadian company TC Energy to lower...Read more

Dicamba use deadline to remain as June 30 in Nebraska

02/27/2023

LINCOLN, Neb. —Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) Director Sherry Vinton recently sent a letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) objecting to a label revision for the herbicide dicamba and a proposed early cutoff date for its use. NDA was recently...Read more

USDA Invests More than $48.6 Million to Manage Risks, Combat Climate Change

02/21/2023

WASHINGTON, Feb. 21, 2023 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will invest more than $48.6 million this year through the Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership for projects that mitigate wildfire risk, improve water quality, restore forest ecosystems, and...Read more

Nebraska joins other states to fight new WOTUS rule

02/16/2023

BY: CINDY GONZALEZ LINCOLN — Nebraska on Thursday joined 24 other states in a lawsuit against the Biden administration’s new rule defining so-called Waters of the United States, or WOTUS. The multi-state coalition said the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps...Read more

'Potential for a lawsuit': State leaders clash over $567M canal project

12/30/2022

Engineers finish evaluating Perkins County Canal Project PERKINS COUNTY, Neb. — The fight for water between Nebraska and Colorado is also dividing state leaders. The Perkins County Canal Project would divert water from the South Platte River into Nebraska as Colorado...Read more

Bison return program is now helping Native American ranchers build herds

11/08/2022

About 330 bison coming from Nebraska preserve operated by the Nature Conservancy BY: PAUL HAMMEL - NOVEMBER 3, 2022 LINCOLN — For years, Wayne Frederick and his father managed a herd of bison held by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe of south-central South Dakota. But now, a unique...Read more

Nebraska on pace for second-worst wildfire year ever; 2023 outlook is dim

11/07/2022

Drought and strong winds spawned large, fast-moving fires in spring, summer and fall BY: PAUL HAMMEL - NOVEMBER 7, 2022 LINCOLN — Worsening drought, coupled with strong, sustained winds, have combined to put 2022 on track as the second-worst year for wildfires in Nebraska...Read more