Sidney ahead of state in solving water issues

From the beginning of time, humans have been concerned with their water supply.

The purpose of Nebraska’s Water Funding Task Force, which met in Sidney at the end of last month, is to find long term funding for the state’s water projects to help maintain water sustainability, according to a press release from the group.

The city of Sidney already dealt with some major water issues before the rest of the state got on board.

“We had an early start on water issues because we didn’t have water at times so we’re basically ahead of the race,” said Keith Rexroth, local representative to the task force and member of the South Platte Natural Resource District.

Holding one of the meetings in this area was a good idea, he said. Sidney’s water usage plans includes metering, diversion programs and ensuring that use balances with the amount of water coming into the area. Sidney brought together those with varied interests in water to work toward solutions, Rexroth said.

The task force has been visiting different locations and they will continue to travel across the state to learn what specific issues face each major watershed in Nebraska. The task force held another meeting in Kearney last week. Information gathered at these meetings will help the group prioritize the ways in which it should seek funding and how it should be allocated.

The task force’s main priorities are to increase the state’s water productivity and to make sure water resources are used in beneficial ways. The body also looks to fund projects that are cost effective in achieving the state’s water goals and projects that contribute to multiple water supply management goals, such as flood control, agricultural use and municipal use as well as the preservation of water resources for the future.

One of the major challenges facing the group is to decide where the state’s priorities should lie when it comes to water funding. Deciding whether to put money toward flood reduction or water quality is a tough call, Rexroth said.

The force is considering how each area of the state should be represented.

“I think the idea is that each water basin would have a representative,” Rexroth said.

The Water Funding Task force was created by the state legislature in June. Currently, those on the force include 16 members of the Nebraska Natural Resources Commission, 11 Governor-appointed citizens, six state senators and the director of the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources.

The Sidney meeting was a positive one, Rexroth thought, because those in this area have a different perspective than many in other parts of the state. Other Nebraska districts still allow unrestricted water use, while Sidney began to deal with shortage issues around 10 years ago.

South Platte NRD worked with the municipality and with industries to ensure that everyone was accountable for the amount of water used. In the South Platte area, concerns about saving water are often intermingled with flooding problems, so dealing with water is a complicated issue.

“In my view there is still a lot of worry,” Rexroth said.

The most concerning thing Rexroth encountered during his travels across the state with the task force is that some people in Nebraska weren’t aware that it was possible to run out of water. Long-time Sidney residents know the possibility of running out of water all too well.

Sidney dealt with its own major water issues a decade ago out of pure necessity, said city manager Gary Person. When area pumps ran dry one July day around 10 years ago, there were no usage controls in place. For a time, the city endured tremendous restrictions.

“I’m glad it’s behind us, but it’s something that we’ll always be cognizant of,” Person said.

Over the past 25 years, the Sidney area saw tens of millions of dollars worth of water projects and wastewater management projects.

“It’s been a painful process,” Person said. “It’s been costly.”

No one likes to pay higher taxes, but without water a community cannot function, he added. No future development would be possible without better water control and planning.

After the water shortage in 2002, a new water distribution center was built 22 miles northwest of Sidney. Person finds some truth in the old saying, “Whiskey is for drinking and water is for fighting.”

This was a very divisive issue in Cheyenne County because both rural areas and cities need water to function.

“Crops need water but businesses need water too,” Person said.

When Sidney ran out of water, those dealing with the crisis realized that area agriculture was using the vast majority of the water. Sidney introduced legislation to protect municipalities’ rights to water. The city realized that area farmers needed to have limited use.

“We learned painful lessons along the way,” Person said.

Person hopes that other areas take Sidney’s lead and begin to take care of water issues themselves. The city had no choice but to deal with its water problems on its own.

“Some areas ignored water issues in the past,” Person said.

It’s a positive step in his eyes that those across the state are finally talking about this issue. He thinks that those in the Sidney area worked beyond their differences and came together to take care of water problems for future generations.

A decade ago state leadership told the city that water shortage was a Sidney issue, Person said. Now they’ve come to the realization that it’s a statewide problem.

“This community has paid a price for trying to resolve its water issues,” Person said.

The city’s situation when it comes to water is much better than it was in the past, he added. Constitutionally, water belongs to all people and Person believes that’s the way it should be. Sidney tries to be proactive with its water policy so that future generations won’t be impacted by irresponsible use today.

Many people do not realize how complicated water issues are or how much concerns vary across the state of Nebraska, Person said. Rural issues are very different than urban issues.

“I’m glad they held their meeting in Sidney,” Person said.

Person credits the local NRD with bringing the Sidney area to where it needed to be in terms of water availability and quality.

“We got it there,” Person said. “Some districts are still ignoring it.”