Special Management Areas
Dwight-Valparaiso-Brainard Special Management Area
Designated in March 2014, following a well-drilling moratorium, landowner surveys, and public hearings, the Dwight-Valparaiso-Brainard Special Management Area (DVB SMA) was created. The designation was a result of reduced flows from some domestic and other small wells in the area during times of heavy irrigation. An advisory group of stakeholders from the area helps evaluate progress and guide administration of the Dwight-Valparaiso-Brainard Special Management Area by the LPSNRD Board.
DVB SMA rules and regulations include:
- A prohibition on new irrigated acres
- A rolling allocation for all certified irrigated acres:
- All irrigation types: 21 acre-inches per three years with a maximum of nine acre-inches applied in any one year
- Irrigators must complete a management certification class
- Establishment of cost-share programs
- Deeper wells to avoid seasonal water declines
- All new well permits must be approved by the LPSNRD Board of Directors
Hydrologically Connected Areas
The Nebraska Department of Natural Resources has designated Hydrologically Connected Areas throughout the state where ground and surface water resources are directly connected and have relatively immediate impacts on each other. In the Lower Platte South NRD, the area includes about 70 sections along Salt Creek, between Lincoln and Ashland and along the south side of the Platte River from Ashland to Plattsmouth.
Please see Section R of the Ground Water Rules & Regulations for more information.