Proposed changes to Rule 5 of the Upper Big Blue Natural Resources District groundwater management rules and regulations met with strong opposition last week during a public hearing in York.

Concerns about the steadily increasing nitrate levels in the district’s groundwater have led NRD board members to recommend changes in Phase 2 and 3 requirements for trigger levels in an attempt to reverse the trend -- changes that could be costly to producers who say they’re already doing their best to reduce fertilizer and water application.

To read more, see this week's print or e-editions