46-229.03. Appropriations; preliminary determination of nonuse; notice; contents; service.
574 words·~3 min read·
/ne/chapter-46/46-229-03A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
(1)The notice provided by the Chief Water Officer in accordance with subsection
(1)or
(5)of section 46-229.02 shall contain:
(a)A description of the appropriation;
(b)the number assigned to the appropriation by the Department of Natural Resources as it existed prior to July 1, 2025, or the Chief Water Officer;
(c)the date of priority;
(d)the point of diversion;
(e)if the notice is published, the section or sections of land which contain the lands located under such appropriation;
(f)if the notice is served by personal service or by registered or certified mail, a description of the lands which are located under such appropriation, a description of the information used by the Chief Water Officer to reach the preliminary determinations of nonuse, and a copy of section 46-229.04 ;
(g)a description of the owner's options in response to the notice;
(h)a telephone number which any person may use to call the Chief Water Officer or the department during normal business hours for more information regarding the owner's rights and options, including what constitutes sufficient cause for nonuse;
(i)a copy of the form that such owner may file to contest such determination, if notice is provided in accordance with subsection
(1)of section 46-229.02 and is mailed;
(j)the location where the owner may obtain a form to file to contest such determination, if notice is provided in accordance with subsection
(1)of section 46-229.02 and is published; and
(k)if the notice is provided in accordance with subsection
(5)of section 46-229.02 , the date, time, and location of the hearing.
(2)For any owner whose name and address are known to the Chief Water Officer or can be reasonably obtained by the Chief Water Officer, the notice shall be served by personal service or by registered mail or certified mail. Any landowner's name or address shall be considered reasonably obtainable if that person is listed as an owner of the land involved, on the records of the county clerk or register of deeds for the county in which the land is located.
(3)For any owner whose name and address are not known to the Chief Water Officer and cannot reasonably be obtained by the Chief Water Officer, such notice shall be served by publication in a legal newspaper published or of general circulation in any county in which the place of diversion is located and in a legal newspaper published or of general circulation in each county containing land for which the right to use water under the appropriation is subject to cancellation. Each such publication shall be once each week for three consecutive weeks.
(4)Landowners whose property under such appropriation is located within the corporate limits of a city or village shall be served by the publication of such notice in a legal newspaper published or of general circulation in the county in which the city or village is located. The notice shall be published once each week for three consecutive weeks.
Notice of hearing on cancellation of water rights must be given to the party appearing of record to be the owner. State v. Nielsen, 163 Neb. 372, 79 N.W.2d 721 (1956).
This section does not fix the time in which an appropriator must put water to a beneficial use. North Loup River P. P. & I. Dist. v. Loup River P. P. Dist., 162 Neb. 22, 74 N.W.2d 863 (1956).