Official: Drought not main cause of water conflict

McCOOK, Nebraska -- According to a Middle Republican Natural Resources District board member, James Uerling, ongoing water issues that have pitted both irrigators and legislators against each other are not the result of a drought as many have suggested. Uerling presented the McCook City Council with charts illustrating precipitation levels at area reservoirs from 1955 through 2008, which showed a minimal but steady increase in the amount of precipitation received.

Accompanying charts illustrated a sharp decrease in the inflow of water to those reservoirs over the same time period. The charts featured Trenton Dam, Red Willow Dam and Enders Dam.

"Rainfall has actually grown a little, what we are really doing is dividing up the base flow," said Uerling,

During Monday's regularly scheduled meeting of the McCook City Council, Uerling said the problem wasn't lack of precipitation but instead the result of pumping and non-compliance issues occurring in Colorado.

"Unfortunately the State of Nebraska decided to solve the problem by constricting surface water, not getting to the root of the problem, pumping in Colorado. Colorado has been out of compliance for 10 years straight," said Uerling.

Uerling said the approach taken by the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources resulted in their recent order of the release of more than 13,000 acre-feet of water from Swanson Lake, Enders Reservoir, Hugh Butler Lake and Harry Strunk Lake.

"I'm afraid of how this will affect McCook recreation as [lake] attendance goes up and down with water levels," said Uerling, adding that a local tax shift will be caused by continually restricting surface water.

Uerling said that restricting surface water would not solve the compact compliance issues for Nerbaska and the local impact would worsen when "quick response is shut down."

Mayor Dennis Berry commented that as surface water was removed from irrigated land and the subsequent conversion to dry land occurred, tax revenue from the land would also be removed and the tax burden shifted to other areas, or a reduction in services provided by the city or county would occur.

Uerling said that the next step would be for the Bureau of Reclamation to reduce reservoirs to their conservation level.

"That's a little more than a mud pool, but not much," said Uerling.

Uerling said the approach being taken by the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources to meet compact compliance was not going to work, "who are they coming after next? That's my concern," said Uerling.

Councilman Jerry Calvin asked if anything was being done about Colorado compliance and Uerling replied that the Nebraska Attorney General's office may be able to provide more information on the situation.

Mayor Dennis Berry said that negative trends in the ag industry directly affected local sales tax dollars and thus reduced opportunities for sales tax funded projects. Mayor Berry said McCook was an ag community and local water wells would also be directly affected by rapid response shutdowns.

"If there is no water in the river we have to pump that much more to purify," said Mayor Berry, explaining that reductions in the flow of the Republican River directly effected local waste water treatment expenses.

"Without water we are up a dry creek," said Mayor Berry, before suggesting and receiving council support for city staff to look into the Colorado compliance scenario.

Also during Monday's meeting a special meeting of the City Council was scheduled on Wednesday, April 24, 6:30 p.m., at council chambers, to discuss a "potential and pending litigation" involving the city. Other than scheduling the time of the meeting, no further details were discussed.

Other items on the consent agenda:

* A request for proposals pertaining to the future use of Memorial Auditorium was approved without comment. According to the meeting agenda, the city will accept proposals until 4 p.m., Friday May, 17, 2013, and five copies of any proposal or expressions of interest will need to be submitted to City Manager Jeff Hancock.

* Red Willow County was authorized to close West F Street, from Norris Avenue to the east side of the alley between Norris Avenue and West First Street, in addition to occasionally closing the alley south from West F Street to the St. Alban's Episcopal Church parking lot, from May 1, 2013, to July 1, 2014. The closing stems from the construction of the new Red Willow County Law Enforcement Center. Mayor Dennis Berry said the council extended congratulations to the county on moving forward with their construction project.

* Councilors approved a proclamation designating April 26, 2013, as "Arbor Day" in McCook.

* The City of McCook financial report for the quarter ending March 31, 2013, was received and filed.