Conservation and the Department of Natural Resources
100 employees
4 employees dedicated to keeping the State in compliance with interstate compacts
86 employees dedicated to expanding conservation
Conservation reduces the amount of water getting to the stream. This is a good thing because it reduces floods and soil erosion, and it increases the amount of water available to the land where the precipitation falls.
However, conservation also reduces stream flow. The DNR states publicly that conservation causes between 50% and 85% of the stream flow reductions.
Conservation is intentionally excluded from the computer simulations used to determine whether or not Nebraska is in compliance with the Republican River Basin Compact. The negotiators did not want conservation regulated.
Miles of terraces installed
2003-2004 216,856
2004-2005 142,424
2005-2006 149,242
Republican River Basin
1.2 million irrigated acres
2.0 million acres with conservation practices – terraces, retention ponds, grassed waterways, minimum tillage, etc.