Irrigation

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Irrigated Acres in CPNRD

Central Platte NRD has a total of 1,012,805 irrigated acres. 936,059 acres are groundwater only and 76,746 acres are groundwater/surface water use.

November 15 Deadline to Apply for Irrigation Cost Share

Funding is available for more efficient irrigation techniques, installing conservation practices, and assisting farmers with converting irrigated acres to non-irrigated farmland. Producers interested in improving water quality and quantity in their farming operations may apply for irrigation management funding. Producers in the Central Platte and Twin Platte NRDs are eligible to apply for the Ogallala Aquifer and Platte River Recovery Project funds through the NRCS’s Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). Contact your local NRCS office:

NRCS OFFICES WITHIN CENTRAL PLATTE NRD
Central City (308) 946-2251 Ext. 3      Grand Island (308) 395-8586 Ext. 3      Kearney (308) 237-3118 Ext. 3
Lexington (308) 324-6314 Ext. 3          Osceola (402) 747-2461 Ext. 3

All irrigated acres are certified, including variances and water bank transactions.  In 2006, CPNRD began certifying irrigated acres by mailing out packets to landowners who live in Custer, Dawson, and Frontier counties. To ensure accuracy, landowners were provided aerial maps and the number of acres  CPNRD had on record as irrigated taken from infrared imagery. Landowners who appealed the number of acres were required to obtain records from their local FSA office; including an aerial photo and a printout of irrigated land. Most changes made were >10 acres while 1/3 of the fields determined as irrigated needed no changes. The deadline to certify irrigated acres was December 31, 2014.   Irrigation violation letters were mailed to 12 landowners in 2019.

Transfer applications are accepted from September 1 – March 1 for irrigated acres.

Download Transfer Application

CPNRD allows an average of 120 transfers each year. Each transfer results in no net increase in stream depletions when computed using the CIR offset calculator developed from the Cooperative Hydrology Study (COHYST).  In 2007, CPNRD launched the first irrigation certification website in the state, to allow public access to scanned documents to show the number of irrigated acres for landowners in the District, infrared imagery taken by CPNRD, & all registered wells.

A new system, Producer Connect, is currently being developed in the Central Platte NRD. Users will have the tools to search for specific parcels of land by using the clickable map interface or by searching the site by landowner/tenant name, legal description, or field ID number. The site allows landowners to view/print aerial photos to show how their land has developed since 2003 and view any improvements made. The public and staff sites will be linked, so all information is simultaneous.  

Staff verifies and corrects well registrations within the NRD. Under Neb Rev Stat. §46-254, 263, & 266; wells that aren’t properly registered are “illegal wells” and considered a Class 4 criminal misdemeanor violation. The penalty is a $100-$500 fine/conviction. Another consequence is a court order to discontinue pumping. Often wells are part of property inventory when ownership changes hands and it becomes the new property owner’s responsibility to verify the registration. The Nebraska Department of Natural Resources (NeDNR) charges a $110 fee to register each well, whether it is newly dug or is an existing well that has never been previously registered. There is no charge from the CPNRD or the state to correct locations or change ownership information.

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