The Upper Niobrara White Natural Resources District Board has dropped its controversial proposed changes to its Ground Water Management Area Rules and Regulations that called for irrigation limits in all parts of the district. Limits currently apply in only Sub-Areas 4 and 6…Box Butte County and Mirage Flats.

The board took the action in its regular once a year meeting in Alliance, which had been delayed from last week by bad weather.

The proposed rules had brought large, often upset crowds to several public input meetings and NRD manager Patrick O’Brien says some of the questions raised by opponents at those meetings convinced the 9-member board to go back to the drawing board.

O’Brien says the NRD will take its time in formulating a new proposal, but needs to take action on at least Sub-Areas 4 and 6 because the current allocation period for them ends at the end of the year.

The now-scrapped proposal called for changing the limits for those areas from a maximum of 13.5″ a year or a total of 54″ over the 4 years to 13″ a year over 5 years. It also called for a limit on the other Sub-Areas of 15″ a year over 5-years.

Putting limits on the other four Sub-Areas drew the loudest complaints at the earlier meetings, with opponents saying none of those areas have seen the drop in aquifer depth required under the NRD’s current plan before limits are triggered.

O’Brien says the Upper Niobrara White board welcomed all the input it received…pro and con…but also says he’s a little disappointed it ended up being portrayed so negatively.

The Upper Niobrara White NRD has its main offices in Chadron and covers all of Dawes, Sheridan, and Box Butte counties and the northern half of Sioux County.