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A guide to the
regulations and requirements of Nebraska law affecting chemigators in
the Lower Niobrara Natural Resources District.
Chemigation Applicators
Must Be Certified
~ Whether or not the permit holder is certified, the person who actually
applies chemicals through an irrigation system MUST be certified.~
~ Certification
consists of attending a course of instruction offered by the University
of Nebraska Cooperative Extension, passing a written exam, and receiving
the yellow chemigation certification card. Check with the Lower Niobrara
Natural Resources District or County Extension Office for dates and
times of the courses.~
~ Certification
is good for four years, after which renewals are required.~
~The Lower Niobrara
Natural Resources District should be notified by the permit holder of
a change of certified applicators.~
Reporting Accidents
~An actual or suspected accident, relating to the use of chemigation,
must be reported within 24 hours of its discovery.~
~Notification should
be made by telephone during normal working hours to:
Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality
(402)471-2186
or the
Lower Niobrara Natural Resources District
(402)775-2343.~
~After hours or
on weekends and holidays, notification should be made to the Nebraska
State Patrol.~
~Notification should
include (if known) the time of occurrence, quantity and type of material,
location, and any corrective or cleanup actions presently being taken.~
Equipment Requirements
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Six specific equipment
requirements are included in the laws relating to chemigation. These
items must be in place before any system is approved for a permit, and
must also be in place and in use during any application.
Mainline Check
Valve
An irrigation line check valve must be located in the pipeline between
the irrigation pump and the point of chemical injection into the irrigation
pipeline. The check valve must stop the water and chemicals from draining
or siphoning back into the irrigation well. The check valve must have
a positive closing action and a watertight seal. It should be easy to
repair and maintain.
Vacuum Relief Valve
A vacuum relief valve must be located on the pipeline between the irrigation
pump and the mainline check valve. The valve allows air into the pipeline
when the water flow stops, preventing a vacuum that could cause siphoning.
Inspection Port
An inspection port must be located between the irrigation pump discharge
and the mainline check valve. The inspection port enables the operator
to make a visual inspection for possible leaks of the check valve. The
vacuum relief valve connection often serves as the inspection port.
Automatic Low Pressure Drain
The low pressure drain, made of corrosion-resistant material and having
at least a three-quarter inch orifice, must be located on the bottom
of the horizontal pipe between the irrigation pump and the irrigation
pipeline check valve. The drain must discharge at least 20 feet from
the water source. The drain inlet should not extend beyond the inside
surface of the pipe unless a check dam is also present. This drain will
help keep any water/chemical mixture away from the irrigation water
source if the mainline valve leaks.
Chemical Injection Line Check Valve
A chemical injection line check valve must be located between the point
of chemical injection into the irrigation pipeline and the chemical
injection pump. This valve shall be chemical resistant. With a minimum
opening of 10 psi, this check valve is needed to stop the flow of water
from the irrigation system into the chemical supply tank, and to prevent
gravity flow from the chemical supply tank through the injection pump
and into the irrigation pipeline after a system shutdown.
Simultaneous Interlock Device
The irrigation pump and the chemical injection pump need to be interlocked
so that if the irrigation pump stops, the chemical injection pump will
also stop. The interlock may be electrical or mechanical. This interlock
prevents the pumping of chemicals from the supply tank into the irrigation
pipeline after the irrigation pump stops.
Equipment Changes
The Lower Niobrara Natural Resources District should be notified within
72 hours of any replacement or alterations involving chemigation equipment.
The Lower Niobrara Natural Resources District must then make an inspection.
If compliant, the permit will be continued. If the equipment does not
comply, the permit must be suspended until compliance is achieved and
the Lower Niobrara Natural Resources District gives approval to the permit.
As required by
law, the Lower Niobrara Natural Resources District will conduct area-wide,
selective, and periodic inspections to ensure Chemigation Act compliance.
Chemigation Permits
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By state law, a
chemigation permit MUST be obtained before any person can legally chemigate.
Chemigation refers to the injection of any ag chemical, including fertilizer,
into irrigation water.
PERMITS EXPIRE
JUNE 1ST THAT WERE ISSUED THE PREVIOUS YEAR
- Renewals can be obtained by submitting permit applications by that
date.
- Renewal permits for each site can be issued without an inspection;
however, the Lower Niobrara Natural Resources District is required to
re-inspect systems in operation on a regular basis.
- To renew, enclose $10.00 with your completed application form sent
to the Lower Niobrara Natural Resources District, PO Box 350, Butte,
NE 68722-0350.
- Renewal applications received after the permit expires on June 1 must
comply with provisions for new permits, including a fee of $30.00 and
a required inspection before the permit can be issued.
NEW PERMITS
- The fee for a new permit is $30.00, which must be enclosed with the
application to the Lower Niobrara Natural Resources District, PO Box
350, Butte, NE 68722-0350. Permit application forms can be obtained
from the same office address.
- Lower Niobrara Natural Resources District will review completed applications,
then conduct an inspection of the system. Approval (or denial) of the
application is required within 45 days after the application is filed.
EMERGENCY PERMITS
-An emergency permit, costing $100.00 and valid for 45 days, may be
issued by the Lower Niobrara Natural Resources District, which has 48
hours to act on an application for such a permit. Such permit holders
must comply with all chemigation rules and regulations.
INSPECTIONS
A chemigation system must be inspected before a new permit may be issued,
and periodic inspections are required for systems under a renewal permit
to ensure compliance with the Chemigation Act.
NEW PERMIT INSPECTIONS
- The system is required to be started, brought to normal operating
pressure, and shut down.
- A permit holder or applicator must be present during the Lower Niobrara
Natural Resources District inspection. The Lower Niobrara Natural Resources
District staff will not operate any irrigation or chemigation equipment,
nor will they open any electrical control box.
PERIODIC RE-INSPECTION
- To meet the Chemigation Act requirements that each Natural Resources
District conducts area-wide for both selective and periodic inspections,
the Lower Niobrara Natural Resources District requires a full inspection,
which involves a start-up and shutdown of the chemigation system, to
be performed a minimum of once every four years.
NON-PERMITTED CHEMIGATION
SYSTEMS
- The Lower Niobrara Natural Resources District is also required by
law to make area-wide selective and periodic inspections of non-permitted
irrigation systems. The Lower Niobrara Natural Resources District will
also investigate complaints concerning non-permitted systems.
- In cases of non-compliance and subsequent lack of cooperation by an
irrigator, the Lower Niobrara Natural Resources District may apply to
the district court or county court in which the irrigation system is
located, for an inspection warrant to allow the Lower Niobrara Natural
Resources District's employees entry onto the irrigator's property to
carry out duties under the Chemigation Act.
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