CERTIFICATION
OF GROUND WATER USES |
Certification of ground
water uses is required to satisfy the Integrated Management Planning
process outlined by Nebraska 's 2004 water law LB962 for the entire
fully-appropriated area. (See Map).
Rules for the Certification of Ground Water Uses in the North
Platte NRD went into effect Oct. 12, 2006.
Rule
3-2 of the Districts rules and regulations for the Certification of
Groundwater states that “beginning January 1, 2008 , no regulated
groundwater well shall be operated unless such use has been certified
and approved by the District.” If groundwater continues
to be used without being properly certified after January 1, 2008 ,
the District has the authority to issue cease and desist orders.
The North Platte NRD staff is taking appointments
and meeting with landowners now to help them complete the certification
process.
Certification of ground water uses includes irrigation,
public water supplies, industrial and other uses including golf courses
and ground water sources for recreation areas. Domestic and
range livestock wells are exempt from certification.
The Certification rules and regulations cover all
areas of the district excluding the Pumpkin Creek Basin, which
has its own set of rules and regulations for ground water use.
North Platte NRD landowners can begin the certification
process by calling the district office in Scottsbluff at (308) 632-2749
to make an appointment to complete the certification application.
Information that will be required to complete certification
include
aerial
photographs or maps of irrigated tracts of land, registration numbers
of wells historically used to irrigate each tract, sources of irrigation
water other than groundwater, USDA-FSA records and FSA Form 578 for
Program Year 2004.
Use
this Certification Checklist to help you prepare your information.
Important
Requirement for Certification |
Landowners within the North Platte Natural Resources District are being
reminded of the requirement of evidence of groundwater use
needed for certification of groundwater irrigated acres.
The district's rules for certification require documentation of historical
groundwater irrigation use for a calendar year from the period of July
1, 1997 through July 26, 2004 . Acre development after July 26, 2004
will not be considered as historical use.
Evidence of historical use can be presented as an aerial photo showing
groundwater irrigation, USDA-FSA or County Assessor records proving
irrigation on that tract of land. Several landowners have not been able
to certify land associated with a well because they did not develop
the well for irrigation use prior to July 2004.
The passage of LB962 in 2004 resulted in stays on the development of
additional groundwater irrigated land. In addition, with the state's
designation of 'overappropirated' comes the North Platte NRDs responsibility
to return base groundwater uses to 1997 levels.
A complete
text of Chapter 3—Certification of Ground Water Uses is available here.
