BEATRICE – The City of Beatrice has gained approval of a special use permit to expand its wellhead protection planning area map. The approval came Wednesday on a 6-1 vote of the Gage County Board.


During a recent public hearing, city officials said the expansion of the area in Blakely Township northwest of the city was requested to help ensure water quality for residents years into the future. No specific new wells are planned in the area.


Supervisor Emily Haxby voted no on the permit. She had proposed denial of the permit but that failed for lack of support by other board members.


"These are put into place when the well is drilled, not as a placeholder. A couple of the counties when I told them the reason I was asking were extremely surprised that we would allow a placeholder like that. I do think that the city has other plans for this and I wish they were a lot more forthcoming with information on their plans. We don't have placeholder permits for things in the future."


The City of Beatrice wellfields provide drinking water for about 57-percent of the county’s population. City Administrator Tobias Tempelmeyer said the desire to expand the protection area was an issue of water quality…..not quantity used.


"When you start talking about water quality, you're talking about a 20-year time of travel, which is what the study is based upon. If you put the protections in place today, when you look to draw up a well, maybe in 20 years, the water will be protected and quality is still there. If you wait until you start pumping the water, you've now allowed 20 more years of additional contamination to flow downstream."


Gage County Attorney Roger Harris said county board zoning decisions, along with the county’s planning commission, are governed by a set of seven criteria when considering special use permits.


"It isn't about who's paying what. It's those guidelines. You got to use them....I can't hammer that, enough. We get off into the weeds and what ifs.....land use planning is so difficult because it's a balancing act. Nobody gets everything they want. And you people sit up here and do the best you can for everybody in Gage County. And, somebody is going to call you tonight and tell you what kind of idiot you are. And, that's after they call me and I tell them to call you. That's the nature of the beast."


The Gage County Planning Commission recommended denial of the permit, but it’s not unprecedented that city councils and county boards sometimes don't follow such recommendations.


In this permit application, the Gage County Planning Commission cited primarily devaluation of rural property and possible hindrance of expanding operations for its vote recommending denial.