Restoring Hydrology, Engaging the Public

By Kris Polly

The Lower Loup Natural Resources District manages water resources across one-tenth of Nebraska’s territory. In this month’s cover interview with General Manager Russell Callan and Information and Education Coordinator Alan Bartels, we hear about a significant groundwater restoration project near Columbus and about the district’s public outreach efforts.

Then, we speak with John Watts, a senior counselor to Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Touton. His message: Drought and aridification are going to be huge challenges for all interest groups across the West, and Reclamation is here to help. We speak about the innovations and investments that Reclamation is helping to facilitate.

We also speak with Michael Hagman, the general manager of the Lindmore Irrigation District and the executive director of the East Kaweah Groundwater Sustainability Agency in California’s Central Valley. Both entities have been taking steps to recharge groundwater in the area and make additional water available for local farmers.

Then, we speak with Ron Platt, a board member of the Boise Project Board of Control, and Bob Carter, its project manager, about proposed legislation that would help fund the rehabilitation of canals of urban concern. This is a pressing concern for the Boise Project, as urban sprawl is increasingly encroaching on one of its major canals.

Sentinel Fertigation’s N‑Time solution uses satellite imagery to help farmers improve nitrogen use efficiency and save money. We speak with Founder and CEO Jackson Stansell about the results of recent testing and how interested growers can get involved in on- farm trials of their own.

Then, we speak with President Steven Huth of TechnoFlo Systems about the numerous product lines the company manufactures and markets, including meters, monitors, and telemetry solutions.

We also speak with Shane Lewis, the CEO of Streamwise Digital Intelligence, which has created an AI-powered platform that gathers and digests data on water and wastewater treatment systems in order to provide them to users in an easy-to-use format.

Finally, we hear from Aarin Ollerman, the manager of Buffalo Rapids Irrigation District 1 in Montana, about his efforts to address aging infrastructure and improve his system’s efficiency.

Investment and innovation are among the most important ways that all stakeholders—including government agencies, irrigation districts, and private-sector businesses—can respond to increasing drought and aridification. I hope you enjoy reading about the steps our water leaders are taking in this month’s issue. 

Kris Polly is the editor-in-chief of Irrigation Leader magazine and the president of Water Strategies LLC, a government relations firm he began in February 2009 for the purpose of representing and guiding water, power, and agricultural entities in their dealings with Congress, the Bureau of Reclamation, and other federal government agencies. He may be contacted at kris.polly@waterstrategies.com.