PLATTE LINES A column of current items of interest from the South Platte NRD

In September, the District Board of Directors approved the current annual operating budget of $2,959,361. These are the funds the District uses for operating expenses and projects and programs for its current fiscal year, which runs from July 1, 2014, to June 30, 2015.

Of that budget, only 44 percent, or $1,312,448, of the funding needed is derived from new property tax, or about 2.5 percent of your total tax bill. Our overall tax asking figure is 5.6777 cents per $100 in valuation, or $56.77 for a $100,000 home.

For perspective if you buy, just once a week, a cappuccino or 20-ounce pop at the convenience store you’ve matched that tax bill by the second week in October. If you’re more the Starbucks venti double latte type for around $5 each week, you’ve spent the same amount by St. Patrick’s Day.

I make that comparison to show just how minimal your investment is for natural resources management and protection.

In comparison, the District’s budgeted expenditures for projects and programs directly benefitting its constituents is approximately 58 percent of the overall budget.

Two that have risen to the top this past year are projects for Oliver Reservoir Recreation Area (ORRA) and the Joint East Sidney Watershed Authority (JESWA).

Oliver Reservoir has been owned by the District since the late 1970s. Its place in the budget had increased steadily as the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, which managed the area in a longstanding agreement, suffered fiscal setbacks and the District’s budget included payments to help offset expenses. In February the District assumed day to day management.

To continue serving you at Oliver Reservoir, the District has committed $207,104 in this year’s budget. That budget has goes to performing deferred maintenance of grounds and facilities, the purchase of dedicated equipment needed to accomplish those tasks, as well as the long term maintenance needed to continue to provide a safe and enjoyable recreation area.

Part of that includes upkeep for the dam so it meets safety standards. The dam’s importance as a flood control structure became apparent early last March when upstream snows suddenly melted, filling the reservoir in roughly 28 hours. Imagine the damage that was avoided had the dam not been there when about 2,200 acre-feet of water rushed down Lodgepole Creek. The event made it nice for recreation enthusiasts, but the real value was the protection the dam provided, mitigating property damage and potential injury downstream.

If you remember my last column, you recognize the motto “Protecting Lives, Protecting Property, Protecting the Future.” The District’s partnership with the city of Sidney in JESWA fits that motto to a “T.” The project aims to develop improvements to drainages carrying runoff water from Sidney’s east interchange area toward other developed areas. Such runoff has the potential to carry pollutants into Lodgepole Creek and compromise water quality in local aquifers and down the creek valley.

So far, the District has committed budget funds toward the study and planning process that will catch or divert those waters prior to reaching homes, business and neighborhoods before such flooding can compromise water quality or harm property. As partners, we join the city in seeking grant and loan funds to help bring this protective project to fruition.

As part of our scope of work, the District monitors and remains involved in the Legislative process and provides input where needed as a voice in Lincoln for constituents who might be affected by Legislative action. For instance, we monitored changes to laws governing chemigation systems and related permit fees. Legislative Bill 272, passed by the Legislature this past session, provides for changes to permit fees charged by NRDs. This becomes important to our overall constituency as the District has historically lost money, up to $14,000 in a year, due to costs associated with monitoring and inspecting chemigation systems.

Before the changes in LB272, new permits were $30 per system, with $5 going to NDEQ. Renewal permits were $10 and emergency permits were $100. Under LB272, new permits could be up to $150, renewal permits cannot exceed $100 and emergency permits no more than $500. The District is considering fee changes to around $60 for new permits and $25 for renewal permits. The District’s intent is to come closer to covering costs, yet without making too much of an adverse impact on producers.

Ground water management activities account for a large portion of our budget and staff time. These conjunctive management efforts protect ground water for both quality and quantity, as we strive to assure homes, business and agriculture all have enough water, and that it remains as pure as possible for all uses.

We invest in the future with studies that give us as much an understanding as possible with the most current scientific methods. One such investment is the Western Water Use Management Model, which will give us data on how management decisions might affect our ground water supplies. Another has been the expansion of our Ground Water Monitoring Network, which is used to check both water levels and quality samples.

On a larger scale, we work cooperatively with four other upper Platte Basin NRDs and the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources to jointly undertake projects to satisfy terms of the Platte Recovery Implementation Program (which protects threatened and endangered species dependent on Platte River flows), requirements of the Nebraska Ground Water Management and Protection Act (the State’s regulations governing ground water), and provisions in the Integrated Management Plans and Basin-Wide Plan (which establish management goals related to ground water management).

As we seek to accomplish the work needed to continue our work, available revenues to carry out the District’s projects and programs are a concern. Reduced federal, state and local funds limit the District’s ability to maintain or reduce the budget’s total real property tax requirement.

With those limiting factors, we as staff and directors work diligently to make sure every dollar is used wisely. We work to leverage each of those dollars with grant funds whenever possible to ease the local tax burden. The District currently is operating with 10 project grants totaling just more than $25,700,000, significantly reducing the demand against local funding sources. These grants and partnerships with other agencies allow us to leverage our position for stronger programs and activities, providing maximum protection to your natural resources at a reasonable cost.

The South Platte NRD is based in Sidney. For more information or to contact the SPNRD, see our Web page, http://www.spnrd.org and don’t forget to visit us on Facebook.

(Rod Horn is general manager of the South Platte Natural Resources Department. His column appears monthly).