Page 5, December 1985
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Conservation and Survey Division
institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Nebraska Water Conservation Council, was more
doubtful. While some of the NRDs are good, she
said, others haven't been able to regulate even
groundwater usage in their districts.
"If we could come up with a way to make the
NRDs work," she said, "it would be great."
At the DEC, Hutton said some state oversight
of the NRDs is necessary. The NRDs are 24
different bodies, he said, with 24 different
viewpoints on how they want to use their
authority. The result could be inequity for
farmers.
"It's so highly contingent on the managers and
board members," Hutton said.
As Kissel sees it, the issue is state control
versus local control. To say that NRDs are not
able to make tough choices is to say that local
government in general can't work, he said.
"I don't buy that argument," he said. In fact,
the NRDs sometimes push harder than the state
for groundwater protection. In the past, NRDs,
have proposed six control areas to regulate water
use, but the state only approved three of them.
Another approach to the nitrate problem is
LB463, a bill introduced last year by state Sen.
Chris Beutler of Lincoln. Beutler's bill would give
the NRDs broad authority to control ground-
Phil TsaiSower
water contamination. As in the DEC strategy,
though, the state would have final control.
Unlike the DEC strategy, Beutler's bill would
not require action until the nitrate levels had
already reached 14 ppm.
The kinds of regulations that could be imposed
under Beutler's bill are unspecified. Nowka said
many farmers are concerned that the bill would
give the state and NRDs authority to prohibit
irrigation, fertilization or even cultivation of
land.
"That gets into government telling a guy how
to run his farm," Lock said.
Regulating farming practices touches on an
issue that raises hackles around the state the
issue of land-use management. Hutton said the
DEC has no desire to manage the use of land, but
it may be necessary to protect the groundwater.
"We're not trying to be staunch environ
mentalists, but there's an awful important re
source out there that needs to be protected," he
said
Bruce Hanson of the University of Nebraska's
Conservation and Survey Division in Norfolk pin
pointed the dilemma.
"The question is, can we afford to solve the
health problem, or can we afford not to?"
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David CreamerSower
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