Invaluable resource

The long-term sustainability of the area’s groundwater resources is the focus of a project which seems extremely timely now.
Hamilton County is indeed blessed to have an abundant water supply beneath its soil in the form of the Ogallala Aquifer. That underground resource spreads throughout the state, though it has been well documented that it’s deeper here than in many areas and closer to the surface, providing an invaluable source of water which guarantees that area farmers can produce a crop even in dry years.
That’s a very big deal, in fact a game-changer in a state that touts agriculture as its No. 1 industry.
The Upper Big Blue Natural Resources District has been working for decades to protect that water supply for all beneficial purposes, which is one of 12 areas of responsibility shared by all NRDs. There was obvious tension in the room regarding that important role at the NRD’s meetings in York both in December and January. The board voted in December to approve a large water use permit from Synergen Green Energy, which is proposing to build an ammonia plant on Highway 34 that would require an estimated 2,300 gallons of water per minute.
The News-Register has reported in detail that a hydrological evaluation concluded that the Synergen proposal would have a minimal long-term impact on existing water wells in the area. Members of the NRD board, however, voiced frustration in not having any frame of reference to consider the potential impact if other, similar large water use projects were proposed.
Those are legitimate questions to be asked, frankly, and the NRD board is the entity that should be asking them, publicly. That shared sentiment led to a proposed groundwater sustainability study, which is now the focus of an interlocal agreement involving the Upper Big Blue NRD, City of Aurora and Hamilton County.
We look forward to reading and sharing the findings of that study once it is completed, though as of this writing the project is still pending the results of a grant application which won’t be known until this fall.
This request has shed more light on a related NRD project which is explained in an article published on this week’s ANR Ag Life pages. Several NRDs in the Blue River Basin have partnered with the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources on an ambitious modeling project designed to identify how the Blue River and tributaries are hydrologically connected and how groundwater and surface water interact. 
That model will help evaluate the potential impacts of current and future groundwater pumping on aquifer levels and stream flows, which few would argue is vital to understanding this invaluable water system. Area ag producers, business and industry leaders, as well as local residents all share a vested interest in the details and findings of a project designed to protect the long-term viability of this important resource.
Kurt Johnson