Nebraska’s new state water task force is meeting today, a day-long in Lincoln at the Holiday Inn. The 34-member panel has until December to issue recommendations on how to make Nebraska’s water supply more sustainable for farmers, ranchers, cities, wildlife and recreational users.

Task force chairman Sen. Tom Carlson of Holdrege says the members will work to develop a “good, sensible, believable plan,” with today’s first session to focus on hiring a consultant to help the group with its work.

The task force has 27 voting members, the 16 members of the Nebraska Natural Resources Commission and 11 appointed by the governor, along with 7 non-voting members, 6 state senators and Department of Natural Resources head Brian Dunnigan.

There are 6 Panhandle residents or representatives on the task force, including non-voting member State Senator Ken Schilz of Ogallala, whose district covers all the Panhandle except Scotts Bluff, Dawes, and Sheridan counties and a sliver of Box Butte county

Gordon architect Rex Peterson and Dennis Strauch of Mitchell, manager of the Pathfinder Irrigation District, were appointed while David Kadlecek of Hay Springs, Dave Deines of Gering, and Keith Rexroth of Sidney are on the Natural Resources Commission as local NRD board members.