RRWCD welcomes 2 new members to board of directors

At the beginning of a recent Republican River Water Conservation District board meeting, the board welcomed two new board members. Rod Lenz, RRWCD board president, swore in Brooke Campbell from Cheyenne Wells, who will be representing the East Cheyenne Ground Water Management District, and Jim Hadachek, also from Cheyenne Wells, who will be representing Cheyenne County on the RRWCD Board.

On Aug. 2, House Bill 19-1029 went into effect. The bill modified the boundary of the Republican River Water Conservation District to include the southern portion of Kit Carson County and an area in the northern portion of Cheyenne County. All counties and groundwater management districts in the RRWCD are represented on the board of directors.

The change in the boundary brought approximately 332 wells and the associated irrigated acreage into the RRWCD. The annual diversions from these wells have always been included in the groundwater model which tracks the use of water within each state, from which the depletions to the river are calculated, but because they were not included in the RRWCD boundary, they have not paid the water use fee as the well owners that are located in the current RRWCD boundary have.

For 2019, the RRWCD board voted to charge a prorated rate of $6.00 per irrigated acre to the wells in this area instead of the $14.50 that is assessed on irrigated acres in the RRWCD. All irrigated acres will have the same assessment in 2020.

Effective immediately, the board approved allowing all acres in the RRWCD be eligible for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, which is administered through the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Anyone interested in more information on the EQIP program should contact their local NRCS office.

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