The future of groundwater irrigation in Nebraska

 A mindset is taking hold in Nebraska that says too much groundwater is being used – that we must reduce the amount we are using.  Farmers are being portrayed as abusers of a precious natural resource.  Some advocate reducing usage by 50%; some suggest that most irrigated land be taken out of irrigated production.

Nebraska has a choice to make.  Do we restrict ground water usage and reverse the development that has been done over the last 60 years, or do we find a way to manage the water so as to keep land in production and protecting the communities while also sustaining the water?

The following are actively advocating, to varying degrees, for less groundwater to be used:

1. The Nebraska Department of Natural Resources – A strong advocate of restricting and reducing groundwater use.  The official NDNR position is to support ground water irrigation to the extent that pumping does not interfere with stream flow.  The NDNR says that all pumping affects the stream and that, over time, all ground water pumping must be accounted for.  They say that the Lag Effect will, in time, cause a need for significant reduction in ground water pumping.  The NDNR uses some of its budget to encourage farmers to take land out of irrigated production -- 10,000 acres in 2005 and another 10,000 acres planned for 2006.
2. The Nebraska Attorney General’s office – Provides notice to Natural Resource Districts that they must impose restrictions or risk the State taking control.  The Attorney General’s office attends all NDNR activities and acts as the enforcer of NDNR policy.
3. The Nebraska Governor’s office – Both Johanns and Heineman support the NDNR in its policy of reducing groundwater use over time.
4. Congressman Tom Osborne – Sponsor of the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP), which is designed to take 100,000 acres of irrigated land out of production.  This is a program to reduce the amount of irrigated land in the State.
5. Nebraska Game and Parks – Game and Parks employees speak at public conferences and say that groundwater irrigation is the cause of low stream flows and that it is morally wrong for farmers to pump ground water.
6. Several members of the Nebraska Water Policy Task Force (Jack Maddux, Claude Cappel, Robert Ambrosek) – Members of this policy forming organization are appointed by the Governor.  Several advocate allocations to be set at “sustainable” which, to them, means 4 to 6 inches per acre.  This is less than half of what is needed and used, even in the most restricted NRDs.  These Water Policy Task Force members advocate eliminating the NRDs’ authority to regulate water and transferring this authority to the State, where their desire has a more sympathetic ear.
7. Upper Republican NRD board members – The majority of the URNRD board believes that too much water is removed from the aquifer and actively seeks ways to limit this without hurting their personal pocketbooks.  Hence, they support government programs that pay farmers to not irrigate. The URNRD has requested permission from the State Legislature to create a new tax, with the revenues being used to retire land from irrigated production.
8. Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District – CNPPID has formally asked the NDNR to restrict ground water irrigation west of Lake McConaughy.  The NDNR has declined.  CNPPID has sued the NDNR, asking the court to force the NDNR to shut off many of the wells along the Platte River.
9. Nebraska State Irrigation Association – This is an association of surface water irrigation districts that blame ground water irrigation for a reduction in surface water availability. 
10. Researchers with the University of Nebraska – Several employees of UNL (working as biologists, economists, and statisticians) work under a non-disclosure agreement with the NDNR and provide scientific data to support a reduction in ground water usage.  This takes the form of: “farmers waste a lot of water” and “a reduction in access to water will have little economic impact.”
11. The Nebraska Association of Natural Resource Districts – The director of NARD states that some NRDs use too much water and that they will have to find a way to reduce usage.  NARD is the lobbying arm of the local NRDs, which are charged with protecting and regulating ground water.
12. Several members of the Nebraska State Legislature – Many state legislators believe what the policy makers tell them: “Too much water is being used.  The only solution is to limit use.”  These legislators work to pass laws that help take land out of irrigated production and to authorize the NDNR to override local NRDs.
13. The Nebraska Ground Water Foundation – a non-profit organization being used by the NDNR, UNL, Game & Parks, and NRDs to host seminars advocating the idea that too much ground water is being used.  The Ground Water Foundation also sits on the Water Policy Task Force.

In general, most surface water irrigation districts believe their access to water is affected by ground water pumping and would like to see ground water use restricted.  Several irrigation districts have testified at NRD hearings asking that the NRDs restrict water use.  Also, a number of environmental groups argue that row crop farming is bad for the environment.  These groups encourage federal legislation that reduces the amount of water that can be used by crops and, instead, want this water used to increase stream flows.  In addition, the Spear T Ranch case represents the opinions of many non-irrigators.  They say ground water pumping affects the creek running through their property and ask that it be stopped.  Spear T Ranch has sued ground water irrigators, demanding that they stop pumping or compensate for the loss of aesthetic value to the property due to the creek not flowing as much.

There are obviously a large number of individuals and public policy organizations that believe too much ground water is being used.  The organizations set policy or advocate policy ideas.  It is their collective opinion that farmers must use less water.  There are a variety of ideas as to how this should be accomplished, but all have in common using less water per acre or taking land out of irrigated production. 

The lead organization, the NDNR, tells us that we need to reduced usage by about 1% per year to compensate for the Lag Effect.  They show these continued reductions being necessary for many years to come.  It does not take very long before you realize that the economy of the western half of Nebraska will change dramatically, if these reductions are made. 

WaterClaim sees a different future.  Instead of shutting down large segments of the agricultural economy, WaterClaim proposes managing water better.  Right now, Nebraska allows six million acre feet of surface water to be wasted each year by letting it leave the state unutilized.  By capturing some of this waste and moving water from areas of surplus to areas of shortage, it is possible to solve water issues rather than creating new problems that are caused by shutting down one of the most important parts of the economy. 

It used to be that the State encouraged development of irrigation for farming.  Now, if you want to protect our continued access to water, we need to be as organized as those who are opposed to irrigation.  We need to combine our independence and intelligence into one force – one voice promoting solutions that protect the environment as well as the agricultural economy that the State itself built from the beginning.

Join us as we encourage policy makers to consider a world with water instead of one without.