It Is Up To Us
The Republican River Basin has a well known problem. Nebraska is using more water than it is allowed. Most of the water policy makers in the State believe the solution is to shut off irrigation wells, even though they know this will cause economic upheaval. WaterClaim has pointed out that this economic ruin can be averted by importing water into the Republican River Basin. There are a number of objections to this idea. “You can’t move water unless you do x, y, and z.” So, Senator Mark Christensen built a legislative bill to include protection for everything the objectors ask for. They were still not satisfied. This reveals their true objection. A water import will permit irrigation to continue. Those who oppose water transfers want less irrigation. All of the other objections were simply excuses.
There is a sizable group of people who want substantially less irrigation regardless of the economic consequences. Over the last several weeks, WaterClaim has met with a large number of water policy officials. They acknowledge that water transfers, as we have designed them will not cause a problem to the Platte or the community from which we lease the water. Their real objection is they believe there has been too much development in the Republican River Basin and that the only acceptable answer is to reduce the number of irrigated acres. They feel sympathy for the people this will hurt, but not enough to do anything to help avert the pain.
More than 50% of the reduction in flows are caused by conservation. The drought has reduced the water available by more than 100,000 acre feet a year from normal. Vegetation has been uncontrolled for decades. The computer simulation that measures compliance has intentionally excluded the effects of conservation and vegetation. The State has provided inconsistent data, given false assurances, and pitted NRDs against each other, and a host of other problems. Yet these are not relevant in the minds of those that want less irrigation. Less irrigation is desired and the lawsuit by Kansas provides the means of execution.
On Tuesday, January 23, the Governor stood before the assembled representatives of the State’s NRDs and asked them point blank. “Do you support water transfers from the Platte to the Republican? Raise your hands, if you do.” Few did. The collective wisdom of the NRDs across the State is that transfers are a bad idea. Sixteen NRDs oppose transfers while seven support them. If you are the Governor and you ask the NRDs, which are made up of a lot of farmers, and they say, “we believe the Republican River Basin should shut off however much irrigation it takes regardless of the economic effect,” would you choose to explain to them why it is important to solve the problem in a way that allows the Republican River Basin to survive? Or, would you accept their advice and say, “Sorry, Republican River Basin you have too many irrigated acres. All of those conservation, vegetation, false DNR reports, etc. are not relevant. You have to take the heart out of your communities and pit neighbor against neighbor.”
Obviously, Nebraska needs a leader who can step in and say, “This is the right thing to do.” Standing aside and allowing those with an agenda to control the outcome will result in the Republican River Basin being sacrificed.
Ann Bleed, director of the DNR, says, “the State will support allowing irrigation to continue if the majority of the NRDs will support that; but since they don’t, the only acceptable solution is to reduce acres.” She says that this can be done with little economic impact. The logic is that since few jobs were added when irrigation entered the area, then few jobs will be lost when irrigation is removed.
This is the reality facing the State and the Republican River Basin. If the Republican River Basin is going to survive the next few years, it is going to have to do so by protecting itself in the face of opposition from most of the water policy makers across the State (who have a desire and a plan to force this reduction, regardless of the facts.)
The question now is, “Do the people of the Republican River Basin want to do what is necessary to survive, or will we choose to allow others to decide our fate?” The State is now sounding the alarm and telling the area bluntly what is coming. As the Governor said, “In the past, State officials have been too optimistic. I have decided to not sugar coat it.”