In January of 2007 the Upper Loup Natural Resources District (ULNRD) Board of Directors approved new ground water management rules. One of those new rules, Rule 14, requires landowners to provide certification of ground water uses. Uses include agricultural irrigation, public water supplies, industrial and other uses including golf courses. Domestic and range livestock wells are EXPEMPT from certification.
Certification of irrigated acres provides the ULNRD valuable data for use in the Elkhorn-Loup Modeling (ELM) and the Districts Hydrogeologic Framework study. Certification also provides landowner documentation of irrigated history and water use requirements in the event that the Loup River Basin is declared fully appropriated by the state. Under state law, the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources (DNR) must conduct an annual evaluation of each of the state’s river basin to determine if they are fully appropriated. Fully appropriated status would mean the maximum level of sustainable development had been reached and no new surface or ground water uses could be granted without offset created by the elimination of a prior water use.
There are four steps to the ULNRD’s irrigated acre certification process. The first step is to apply for the development of new irrigated acres with an expansion application that can be obtained from either our office or the website. Once you have been notified of approval the second step is to pick up the NRD’s certification form, that is, if one was not sent to you upon approval of the expansion of irrigated acres. The third step is to ensure you are irrigating from a legal well. A legal well is one that is registered correctly with the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). This information can be reviewed by either visiting the DNR website at www.dnr.state.ne.us or contacting them at 402-471-2363. Last, you need to visit your County Assessor’s office. There you’ll match the acres you are certifying with your property tax records. Once that is complete, the Assessor will provide you a signed land sheet required by the NRD. To finish the process you will need to send to the Upper Loup the completed acre certification form and the Assessor land sheet. The District also encourages landowners to include any FSA aerial photos with the irrigated acres marked if they have them.
Any acres currently enrolled in a government conservation program are NOT being certified. When the conservation program contract expires and the landowner plans to irrigate they must certify those acres at that time with the same process as listed above.
For more information or help with the Upper Loup NRD’s irrigated acre certification process contact our office.

Expansion of Irrigated Acres Permit

Certification of Irrigated Acres Form