Seward County officials would like to have a county-wide water study to better document and understand where the county’s groundwater is – and what kinds of housing or industries that water can support.
Seward County Commission Chair Misty Ahmic said the county is pursuing more information about its water supplies as it crafts regulations addressing potential data center applications. The board recently enacted a one-year moratorium on data center permit applications so it could adopt appropriate regulations to address such developments.
At the July 14 meeting, Seward County Commissioner Scott Pekarek and Ahmic shared information from a meeting they had with representatives of the Upper Big Blue and Lower Platte South natural resources districts and a consultant from Spheros Environmental to discuss water issues in Seward County.
The Upper Big Blue NRD serves much of the western area of the county where the Ogallala Aquifer is common. The Lower Platte South serves an eastern portion, where the Dakota Aquifer exists underground.
Ahmic said a water study is a large task and they will soon approach city of Seward officials and others around the county to see who has interest in the study.
“A data center could go anywhere in the county, so it does not make sense to exclude any area,” Ahmic said at the commissioners’ meeting.
Both NRDs expressed interest in a county-wide study, Ahmic said.
“What we learned is that there is a lot of data out there,” Ahmic said in a later interview.
She said having information about where the county is with groundwater is important, especially in light of any future developments.
“Ultimately, the study is to give us a better look, not just at data centers, but for all aspects,” she said.
But finding funds for such a study is a challenge.
The cost may not be measured in the millions, but Ahmic is hoping the tab might be shared among the county and NRDs, as well as the city of Seward and any of the villages or other entities for whom it might be useful.
