By Russ Pankonin & Jan Schultz
    The Imperial Republican
     Members of the Legislature's Natural Resources Committee will hold hearings Tuesday, July 31, on three different studies on water issues in the state.
     The hearings will be held in North Platte at the McDonald Belton campus of North Platte Community College, 601 W. State Farm Road.
     The first hearing, scheduled to run from 10 a.m. to 12 noon (CT), will be on LR 198, an interim study to examine information collected from flow meters installed to measure groundwater and surface water use.
     The afternoon is reserved for hearings from 1 to 4 p.m. on LR 174 and LR 177.
     LR 174 is an interim study to examine coordination between natural resources districts (NRDs), state agencies and state and federal government with respect to surface water flows during times of great need.
     Senator Mark Christensen of Imperial said the study will address situations in which water could be diverted during flooding to reduce flood damage.
     He said there are instances when the Platte or Missouri Rivers jam with ice during the winter. Water backs up and causes flooding.
     If that water could be diverted to other areas, the damage would decrease and the water could be put to better use in the diversion area.
     The same could hold true during periods of flooding conditions after extensive precipitation.
     LR 177 is an interim study to examine the inputs and accounting methods of the groundwater model used to determine compliance for the Republican River Compact settlement.
     Christensen said he doesn't fully trust the methods of the model and feels it needs to be examined much closer.
     One error was already found in the model that gave Nebraska 8,000 acre-feet of credit for 2006 compilations. The state was not allowed credit for 2004 and 2005 because the compact administration had already approved those numbers.
    WaterClaim to testify on model
     Steve Smith of Imperial said WaterClaim, a water advocacy group he helped found here, will testify on LR 174 and 177, with emphasis on LR 177 dealing with the water model.
     He wants to point out four to five areas that he feels the model doesn't adequately or incorrectly address. Smith has done an extensive study of the model for the organization.
     He said the way conservation and vegetation water use is calculated in the model needs to be addressed. Those uses, he believes, are being assigned back for groundwater users to make up for.
     He also wants to insure the inputs into the model are correct, citing the one error that was already found.
     Developers of the model found on cross-check that their calculations on 40 percent of the wells in the eastern end of the basin were incorrect. They assumed these wells would draw down the aquifer, reducing water supply. In reality, the water level remained static on 40 percent of the wells.
     The model also assumes that grass and trees annually uses 250,000 acre-feet of water, even if no groundwater is pumped, which further reduces water flow.
     Addressing any of the issues could have significant impact for groundwater irrigators and the state in trying to maintain compliance with Kansas.
     The public is encouraged to attend, and will have opportunities to present testimony.
    URNRD to meet with DNR
     Members of the Upper Republican Natural Resource District will meet with Ann Bleed, director of the Department of Natural Resources, in a special meeting Friday, July 27, at 1:30 p.m. at the Imperial Eagles Club.
     Items on the agenda include the Republican River Compact, the district's groundwater management plan, integrated management plan and groundwater and surface water rules and regulations.
     The URNRD board wants to have allocation proposals for the district ready for the August meeting. DNR has proposed allocations ranging from 5.5 inches to 8.5 inches, depending on precipitation.