Nitrates focus of NRD rule addition; board seat filled

    On an 8-0 vote, the Upper Republican NRD board approved  an amendment to its rules and regulations that guide groundwater control in the district.
    No one testified at the Feb. 5 afternoon hearing on the amendment designed to monitor and protect groundwater quality in the district, specifically for the presence of nitrates.
    Bruce Curtis, an NRD assistant manager, said the adopted amendment is twofold—one that looks at and follows up more closely on the health of the aquifer district-wide and another that identifies domestic wells with high nitrate levels and helps owners solve the problem.
    Curtis said NRD staff has been taking water samples throughout the district to measure nitrate levels, and whether they are increasing or decreasing.
    He said depending on the nitrate concentrations found, four phases on management can come into play. Landowners can review the phases on a map at the NRD office, he said.

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