Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First

SPNRD board begins new year with new board member

The South Platte Natural Resources District board of directors began the year by welcoming a new member into its fold, while choosing Keith Rexroth to continue his role as chairman.

Phil Grabowski of rural Sidney joined the board after being elected last November, replacing long-time board member Paul Hutchison, who retired at the end of his term last year. Grabowski is a farmer and rancher and will represent NRD Subdistrict 4, covering southwest Cheyenne county including a portion of southwest Sidney.

Grabowski was sworn in just prior to the board meeting, along with Jim Johnson of Dix, who was re-elected to serve Subdistrict 2, covering eastern Kimball County and part of western Cheyenne County.

As part of its annual reorganization and committee assignments, Director Bill Halligan of Bushnell was chosen as vice-chair, and Johnson will be secretary. District General Manager Rod L. Horn was re-appointed as board treasurer.

Committee assignments included Halligan and Johnson on the District Operations Committee, with Halligan to chair; and Director Tim Maas chairing the Natural Resources/Projects and Programs Committee, on which Grabowski and Larry Rutt will also serve. There is currently no director serving from Subdistrict 6, and final committee assignments will be following the appointment filling that opening.

Final appointments were Johnson to serve as the board representative to the Nebraska Association of Resources Districts, with Rutt as alternate.

The board also participated in a caucus to choose a representative from the South Platte River Basin to serve on the Nebraska Natural Resources Commission, which oversees the state's aid programs toward water and related land resources. Rexroth, who has served the basin for a number of years, was chosen to continue as the basin representative.

The board heard a report from Chris Kaiser, the District's natural resources coordinator, on the 2014 Ground Water Quality Monitoring Program.

Kaiser reported that 171 of the District's 212 monitoring network were sampled at least once in 2014 between May and October, 60 of those domestic and the remaining were irrigation wells.

One of the key changes pointed out in the report is within the South Platte Valley Ground Water Management Area. That area, which was reduced to Phase I management in 2012, had its second consecutive year over the 80 percent Minimum Contaminant Level (MCL) for nitrates. By standards set for safe drinking water by the Environmental Protection area MCL for nitrates is 10 parts-per-million.

Should the area exceed 80 percent of MCL again in 2015, it would qualify to go back under more intensive Phase II management requirements to reduce nitrate levels.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Lodgepole Valley GWMA, which has been in Phase I control, saw its average remain under the 6.5 ppm trigger for the second year in a row.

The District's only ground water management subarea in Phase II management, the Sidney GWMA, dipped more than a point to 8.01, but remains above the Phase II trigger.

In other business, the board:

-Scheduled a public hearing on updates to the Districtwide Ground Water Management Area Rules and Regulations. The hearing will be Tuesday, March 10 at 6:30 p.m., or 15 minutes following the end of an information session. One of the more substantive changes proposed is incorporating rules and fees related to the Nebraska Chemigation Act.

-Approved the purchase of equipment for use at Oliver Reservoir.

-Authorized staff to finalize scope of services and an agreement with JEO Consulting Group for consideration at the February board meeting. With an approved agreement, JEO will begin the process to update the District's Hazard Mitigation Plan.