LINCOLN (NE) August 4, 2015 - The Lower Platte South Natural Resources District (NRD) and the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources (NDNR) have begun implementing a plan to achieve a sustainable long-term balance between water uses and water supplies in the NRD. A progress meeting has been set to hear public comments and review the plan adopted by the two agencies last year for the management of surface water and ground water.

The Integrated Management Plan (IMP) developed jointly by the agencies and adopted in May of 2014, requires an annual review meeting and a report summarizing progress toward the plan's goals and objectives. The annual meeting is set for Thursday, August 20, 2015, beginning at 7:00 PM at the NRD office, 3125 Portia Street, in Lincoln. The NRD and NDNR welcome public comments or suggestions for changes in the IMP.

The report and the complete IMP are available on the websites of the NRD (www.lpsnrd.org) and NDNR (www.dnr.nebraska.gov). NRD and NDNR activities related to ground and surface water management are outlined in the report, including the monitoring of surface water and ground water, regulatory and management actions, studies, education, collaboration with other agencies and activities anticipated over the next two years. There is also information on metering, ground water levels and the enforcement of various regulations.

Studies and other tools to help both agencies better understand the behavior of surface and ground water are also summarized in the report, including NDNR's utilization of its web-based Integrated Network of Scientific Information and Geohydrologic Tools (INSIGHT) tool for using water supply and use data to get a better idea of basin-wide water needs. Over the next two years, according to the report, the NRD plans to study the feasibility of conveying water via streams, develop recommendations for managing areas with limited aquifers and encourage municipalities and rural water districts to coordinate on water shortage action plans.