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Legislative News and Views - Rep. Paul Anderson (R)

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Recap of well/irrigation meeting

Friday, July 31, 2015

Dear Neighbor,

 

Upwards of 60 people attended a town hall meeting Wednesday in Alexandria to voice their opinions on new water sustainability guidelines the DNR is charged with enforcing. Most were farmers who irrigate their cropland and are directly affected by the rules. Several DNR staffers were also on hand to talk about those rules and how they are trying to implement them. It was explained that after a record number of applications for large water appropriation permits in the past few years, the number has dropped this year. This has allowed the DNR to better handle those applications and take action on them in a more timely fashion.

 

When a permit is applied for, the DNR responds with one of three colors denoting the status of the application. A red response means the chances of obtaining a water appropriation permit are highly unlikely. A yellow color means the DNR has questions about the application, but if certain practices are completed, a permit may be granted. A green response means the application stands a very good chance of being approved. It was stated, however, that a green response is hardly ever given. A well driller commented that this practice is confusing because most of the applications are returned with a yellow color, meaning more work needs to be done before a permit is granted. And in many cases, just exactly what needs to be done is not clarified.

 

A DNR spokesperson said that of the approximately 1,000 applications received in the past two years, only 34 were required to undergo what's known as an aquifer test. That's when the well is pumped for significant length of time, sometimes for 7 days straight, to determine the draw-down of the well.

 

A recurring theme among irrigators and well drillers is that the DNR requires so much background information before granting a permit that, sometimes, a project isn't worth pursuing because of the high cost and time requirements that are being required for a permit. One of those requirements was notifying all well owners within a certain radius and asking questions about their wells. The Legislature changed that process, and from now on, DNR personnel will do that background work.

 

Judging by the number of folks attending the meeting, interest in this subject is high. More work needs to be done by all those involved to improve the process. The goal of the DNR is to have applications completed within 150 days, and for the most part, that goal is being met. The Legislature should continue working in the area of monitoring wells and come up with some level of state funding to help with that cost. I don't think it should be entirely up to the person seeking a new well to pay the cost of a required monitoring well.

 

Have a good weekend and enjoy this beautiful late summer weather. We are coming into the best time of the year!

 

Sincerely,

Paul