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Loup Basin Reclamation District
P.O. Box 137 501 South RD
Farwell, NE 68838 		 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
Water User Handbook

GUIDE TO WATER USERS ON POLICY

The District strives to deliver water as timely and efficiently as possible. As a water user, the District encourages you to use the available water wisely and efficiently. Water season is a critical and stressful time for farmers as well as District staff members. Therefore, the Board of Directors through the years established policies to help ease this time so everyone can receive their water in a reasonable time period. We realize many of you are familiar with these policies but there are several new water users each year. The District is providing this handbook to remind you seasoned water users of the policies and to have the policies available for the new water users as well. Please keep in mind that these policies are reviewed every year and if you have comments or suggestions, please feel free to contact any Board of Director members or management personnel. Your comments and suggestions are definitely considered during the review each year.
PAYMENT OF WATER TOLLS AND ASSESSMENT
The assessment is presently $15.00 per acre and these bills are sent out the first week of December each year to the landowners. Assessment for the previous year will become delinquent May 1st of the following year. If the assessment is not paid by May 1st, the delinquent assessment will be assessed at a rate of 9%. Assessment must be paid before water will be delivered. The water tolls are presently $24.00 per acre. Water tolls bills are sent out the end of May or early June to the water users. Water tolls for the current year will become delinquent July 15th. If the water tolls are not paid by July 15th, the delinquent water tolls will be assessed at a rate of 14% to be paid before water will be delivered. All payments of water tolls and assessment will be handled through the office. Payments are not to be accepted by employees any place but the office or through the mail to the office. NO WATER will be delivered to water users until all payments are made for each unit. Extra Water is available sometimes. Late water cannot be sold to any water user until August 15th, if available. The appropriate forms may be signed in the office or contact your ditchrider.
WATER SEASON POLICY
It is the policy that water will be made available between June 20th and September 1st, but can be changed by a decision of the Board in extreme conditions. Office hours vary from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. depending on the season.

Water season hours are:


Monday through Friday
7:00 a.m.-12:00p.m.

 

 12:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m.
Saturday
 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Sunday
 8:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m.
Saturday and Sunday hours apply only if water is being delivered to water users
OTHER INFORMATION
All water orders must be specific, (meaning lateral numbers and turnout numbers), by phone or in writing or they will NOT be accepted. Management has authority to shut down the Farwell system when a good general rain has been received throughout the District. Management will contact the Board at the end of the season and survey the Directors on the shut down of the system. The District reserves the right to limit or discontinue deliveries to water users who waste excessive amounts of water. It is the water users responsibility to be in a position to accept delivery at such time as the ditchrider arrives at the turnout. Prior to office staff arriving at work, you may leave a message on voice mail, Chris, extension 201 or Mike, extension 203. The time and date are included when leaving your message. Please remember we need your lateral number and turnout number when calling in water orders. All orders, both for “turn on” or turn off”, received in the office by 12:00 o’clock noon, will be honored the next day. Orders received after 12:00 o’clock will be honored the second day. This policy applies Monday through Saturday. Orders for Monday are accepted until 10:00 a.m. Sunday morning. There is NO delivery of water, transfer or SHUT OFF’S on SUNDAY. If water is requested to be shut off on Saturday, it CANNOT be turned back on until Tuesday unless there are special circumstances, such as a funeral or immediate family wedding or emergency. A water user cannot receive more than the water ration per unit. The ration is one foot to 60 acres. If a water user is abusive with any of Farwell Irrigation District staff, management will have the option of not accepting the orders. Turnouts will be locked if any water user is abusive in regards to any policy in the District. There are instances when water users request turnouts to be locked for their protection. Please contact your ditchrider if you have such a situation.
OTHER POLICIES
It is the duty of the District to maintain patrol roads from spring through the fall season, not the off season. No fences or obstruction may be put across any District right-of –way, patrol roads, canals or laterals from March 15th through November 15th. The District requires that landowners, water users or tenants keep livestock out of canals and laterals and to not feed livestock in or near those areas. Landowners, water users and tenants are subject to charges for repairing damaged canals and laterals.