LBNRD Looks For New Water Source Without Fairbury

By Gordon HopkinsAfter the failure of a deal with the City of Fairbury to locate a new, lower-nitrate source of water last year, the Little Blue NRD (Natural Resources District) is now going forward with its own plan to pump water from a lower-nitrate source.That source is property owned by Bill and Mary Glenn, the same location that was previously looked at by the inter-local agreement with Fairbury. Chris Miller with Olsson, an engineering firm, spoke with Jefferson County commissioners at a meeting on Tuesday, October 3, 2023, to discuss a permit for a water line, “We have not filled out your permit application yet. We want to just come talk to the commissioners first.”Miler said, “The Little Blue NRD has a rural water system that they’re trying to get water to. They used to buy it from Fairbury. We have located a new source and we’re looking at putting a water line in to hook up to the old system.” In July of 2021, the city entered into an inter-local agreement with Little Blue NRD to cost share in a project to identify a new water source with lower nitrate content. There was considerable opposition to the project from the beginning. A group of more than 60 landowners calling themselves the Jefferson County Water Rights Coalition expressed great concern about the impact to nearby irrigation wells. After more than a year of planning and testing, in 2022, the Fairbury City Council voted not to proceed with the project.That plan originally called for five wells. Because the new plan does not include Fairbury, only two wells are anticipated at this time. At a meeting of the Little Blue NRD board in January of this year, during an open public comment period, Craig Shumard of the Rural Water Advisory Board commented he did not wish to go back to purchasing water from Fairbury and would prefer to see the NRD locate its own source of water.The City of Fairbury is examining alternatives to address the growing nitrate problem. Other possible solutions under consideration are finding another location for a well field or constructing a nitrate treatment plant. Currently, the city is looking to find a way to address the “biofilm” accumulation that has kept the Crystal Springs well offline since 2021.

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