HB 2465 Summary

• Amends groundwater code sections 45-114, 45-432, 45-433, 45-434, 45-435, and 45-436 to establish procedures for designating subsequent irrigation non-expansion areas.

• Requires petitions to include a numeric groundwater flow model and hydrologic report signed by a registered professional geologist or engineer, submitted within one year of receiving the petition form from the county recorder.

• Restricts irrigation to only those acres irrigated within the five years preceding the first publication of the hearing notice once procedures are initiated to designate a non-expansion area.

• Establishes that the director's findings and order designating an irrigation non-expansion area are final determinations not subject to rehearing or review, with judicial review limited to petitioners and those who submitted evidence at the public hearing.

• Prohibits refiling a petition to designate an area as a non-expansion area for three years after the director refuses designation, unless that refusal is reversed on judicial review.