By Russ Pankonin
    The Imperial Republican
    
    Municipalities and other water stakeholders met with the Upper Republican Natural Resource District board to discuss the Integrated Management Plan being considered by the NRD.
     Municipalities in the district shared concerns they had for their communities and sought information on how the IMP might affect their abilities to address those concerns.
     Engineer Chris Miller of Miller & Associates in McCook said the IMP shared some concerns for the communities.
     He recommended the plan include some type of water transfer provisions for municipals to encourage economic development.
     Board members noted that is allowed on a case-by-case basis with variances.
     NRD Manager Jasper Fanning encouraged municipals to develop plans for economic growth water needs and bring them to the board "before someone comes knocking at your door."
     He said low-water use industries would unlikely be affected by the plan. However, high water-use industries such as an ethanol plant, would be a good example of having a plan in place before something like that comes in.
     Miller also questioned that since municipalities have an allocation, why does the number of wells they have matter.
     He said that gives municipalities flexibility in siting new wells or supplementing water needs.
     Terry Williams of Benkelman asked if cities could be subject to further cuts, and was told they could.
     This concern is that Benkelman has trouble finding good water and may be forced to treat their water.
     If that would happen, regulations require that 25 percent of all treated water be released instead of being available for consumption.
     He said that could have a significant impact on their city's allocation.
     Representatives with the Game & Parks noted they are facing significant stream flow reductions into their Rock Creek Hatchery at Parks.
     Over the last seven years, stream flows have declined from 215 cubic feet per second to 30-40 cfs.
     As a result, they are seeking a 6-inch allocation for the URNRD to help offset stream flow depletion.
     The hatchery has supplemental wells drilled in 1977 and have approached the board for a variance to operate them to supplement stream flow.
     Steve Smith of Imperial expressed concerns about the possibility of water overuse in the Tri-Basin NRD and whether the URNRD would have to share in making up for that depletion.
     He also asked whether about surface water in wet years could adversely affect the URNRD allocation.
     The board did not respond to his questions.
     Several surface water irrigators also attended the meeting, noting they have lost irrigation water in recent years.
     George Peterson, who irrigates from the Buffalo Creek in southwest Dundy County, said he's faced with less water in the creek. As a result, he asked that allocations for groundwater wells be reduced.
    Meeting becomes testimony
     Although the meeting was not advertised as a public hearing, board members voted to enter the audio tapes of the stakeholder meeting and other documents received, as part of the official record of the public hearing on the IMP, held March 3.