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Annual report relating to evaluation of river basins, subbasins
Nebraska As required by State law, the Department of Natural Resources has issued it's 2008 Annual Evaluation of Availability of Hydrologically Connected Water Supplies report that evaluates each of the state's river basins that have not already been determined to be fully or overappropriated and makes a preliminary determination of which river basins, subbasins or river reaches are preliminarily considered to be fully appropriated. The report, has preliminarily determined that the Niobrara River Basin between the Mirage Flats diversion dam in Dawes County and NPPD's Spencer Hydropower facility near Spencer is fully appropriated. The portion of the Niobrara River Basin was determined to be fully appropriated because there would not be sufficient water available to supply any new water uses without injuring existing water users. No additional areas were preliminarily considered to be fully appropriated in 2007. The preliminary determination triggers an immediate temporary stay on the issuance of permits for new surface and ground water uses and ten days after publication of a notice to the public, a stay on the expansion of irrigated acres takes effect. Within ninety days of the issuance of the report, the Department will have a hearing on the report and its preliminary determinations. The report itself describes the existing water supplies and water uses in each basin in the state that is not already fully or overappropriated and what could be expected to be used in the future if there were no further restrictions on new development. For the portions of the Niobrara River Basin that are preliminarily determined to be fully appropriated, the report also includes maps showing the boundaries of the surface watersheds and ground water reservoirs that are considered to be hydrologically connected to the surface water in these basins. If, following the hearings held by the Department on its preliminary determinations, a basin is finally determined to be fully appropriated, the Department and each affected natural resources district must determine whether to issue new stays or continue any existing stays on new uses and, within three to five years, jointly develop an integrated management plan for the fully appropriated areas of the basin. In developing the plan, the Department and the NRD must consult with stakeholders in the basin. If the portion of the Niobrara River Basin described above is finally determined to be fully appropriated, plans will be developed for portions of the Upper Niobrara-White NRD, the Middle Niobrara NRD, the Lower Niobrara NRD, the Upper Elkhorn NRD, and the Upper Loup NRD. Additional information can be found on the Department's website at http://www.dnr.ne.gov Date: 11/15/07
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