The North Platte Natural Resources District will be hosting three water issues meetings next week in Oshkosh, Scottsbluff, and Bridgeport. The purpose of the meetings is to provide current information on the NRD’s water use rules and regulations, including flow meters and allocations, and provide updates on the district’s Integrated Water Management plan.

The meetings will be held in Oshkosh on Monday, March 2, 1:00 p.m. at the Oshkosh auditorium; in Gering on Thursday, March 5, 7:00 p.m. at the Gering Civic Center; and in Bridgeport on Tuesday, March 10, 1:00 p.m. at the Prairie Winds Community Center. The meetings are free and open to the public. Landowners and irrigators are encouraged to attend.

“ We wanted to make these meetings convenient for the area farmers and ranchers, so the two meetings will be held in the afternoon at the Oshkosh and Bridgeport locations to accommodate their calving and winter chores,” said NRD manager Ron Cacek. “We hope the district’s water users will take the opportunity to attend one of these meetings and learn first hand about the NRD’s newest rules related to flow meters and allocations. They will also have a chance to visit directly with NRD staff about any questions or concerns they might have.”

Topics to be discussed at the meetings will include the reasons and requirements for the new ground water allocations within the district, which include the 12-inch allocation for Pumpkin Creek Basin and 18-inch allocation for the Overappropriated area; use and maintenance of flow meters; certification status; explaination of commingled water; NRD enforcement authority for rules and regulations; status reports on the basin-wide and local Integrated Management Plans and use of the COHYST model for making water management decisions.

“ Due to the ongoing drought and continued demands on water use, the NRD has had to implement more aggressive management tools to protect the resource,” Cacek said. “We want to give our landowners the opportunity to understand the reasons for new rules and regulations, explain the tools we are using, and provide open discussion with our constituents. These will be good informational meetings to attend prior to the start of the irrigation season.”

Each meeting will also include an informal question and answer period. For more information about the meetings, please contact the North Platte NRD office at (308) 632-2749.