ATTENTION ALL IRRIGATORS IN THE UPPER LOUP NATURAL RESOURCES DISTRICT:

Upon evaluation of the District's static water levels, stream depletion information and the Department of Natural Resources' INSIGHT data, the Upper Loup NRD's Board of Directors has decided to ALLOW NEW IRRIGATED ACRES within the District for 2020.There will be 2,500 acres allowed for the district which will be split into 500 acres per sub-district.

The number of total new ground water well construction permits and/or new ground water irrigated acres shall not exceed two thousand five hundred (2,500) acres annually for the entire geographic boundaries of the District.  The Upper Loup NRD Board at their regularly scheduled June board meeting will determine if the District is to allow any additional irrigated acres for the upcoming year. 

If development is approved then landowners must apply for any new irrigated acres on a District application form. The application period is during the months of July, August and September of each year and is valid for one year and follows land ownership. An application received outside of an application period will be returned to the applicants as incomplete. A maximum of two hundred and sixty (260) irrigated acres per individual, corporation, limited liability company, partnership, other entity or trust will be allowed per application period for expanded irrigated acres. 

A one-time non-refundable administrative fee is one hundred dollars ($100.00) per application of twenty-five (25) acres or less or five hundred dollars ($500.00) for applications over twenty-five (25) acres must accompany each application.

A minimum score of fifteen (15) points on the Upper Loup District Irrigated Acre Ranking Sheet is required for an application to be considered for approval.  Each application for expansion of irrigated acres will be ranked according to the following criteria: goundwater quality in the vicinity, density of irrigated acres within the vicinity, NRCS soil classification (e.g. Highly Erodible Lands, or HEL), stream depletion factor, slope, removal of trees and any other criteria and/or considerations deemed relevant by the District. 

Acres approved for expansion must be certified with the Upper Loup NRD as well as have a flowmeter installed on any new or existing wells.

You can find the form for expansion of irrigated acres here