§ 46-606 — Water wells; registration fees; disposition

(1) The department shall collect in advance a registration fee of forty dollars and the fee required by subsection (3) of section 46-1224 for each water well registered under section 46-602 except as provided in subsections (2) through (5) of this section.
(2) For water wells permitted pursuant to the Industrial Ground Water Regulatory Act, the department shall collect in advance a registration fee of forty dollars and the fee required by subsection (3) of section 46-1224 for each of the first ten such water wells registered under section 46-602 , and for each group of ten or fewer such water wells registered thereafter, the department shall collect in advance a registration fee of forty dollars and the fee required by subsection (3) of section 46-1224 .
(3) For a series of water wells completed for purposes of installation of a ground heat exchanger for a structure for utilizing the geothermal properties of the ground, the department shall collect in advance a fee of forty dollars for each such series and the fee required by subsection (3) of section 46-1224 .
(4) For water wells constructed as part of a single site plan for monitoring ground water, obtaining hydrogeologic information, or extracting contaminants from the ground, the department shall collect in advance a registration fee of forty dollars and the fee required by subsection (3) of section 46-1224 for each of the first five such water wells registered under section 46-602 , and for each group of five or fewer such water wells registered thereafter, the department shall collect in advance a registration fee of forty dollars and the fee required by subsection (3) of section 46-1224 . However, if such water wells are a part of remedial action approved by the department pursuant to section 66-1525 , 66-1529.02 , or 81-15,124 , the fee set pursuant to this subsection shall be collected as if only one water well was being registered and the fee required by subsection (3) of section 46-1224 shall be collected.
(5)(a) For a series of two or more water wells completed and pumped into a common carrier as part of a single site plan for irrigation purposes, the department shall collect in advance a registration fee of forty dollars and the fee required by subsection (3) of section 46-1224 for each of the first two such wells registered under section 46-602 .
(b) Any additional water wells which are part of a series registered under this subsection shall not be subject to a new well registration fee.
(6) The department shall remit the fees collected to the State Treasurer for credit to the appropriate fund. From the registration fees required by subsections (1) through (5) of this section, the State Treasurer shall credit to the Department of Water, Energy, and Environment Cash Fund the amount determined by the department to be necessary to pay for the costs of processing notices filed pursuant to section 46-230 , the costs of water resources update notices required by section 76-2,124 , and the costs for making corrections to water well registration data authorized by subsections (6) and (7) of section 46-602 and shall credit the remainder of the registration fees required by subsections (1) through (5) of this section to the Water Well Decommissioning Fund. The State Treasurer shall credit the fees required by subsection (3) of section 46-1224 to the Water Well Standards and Contractors' Licensing Fund.

Legislative History

Source: Laws 1957, c. 200, § 6, p. 703; Laws 1986, LB 886, § 4; Laws 1986, LB 310, § 43; Laws 1993, LB 131, § 6; Laws 1994, LB 981, § 7; Laws 1999, LB 92, § 3; Laws 2000, LB 900, § 172; Laws 2001, LB 667, § 6; Laws 2002, LB 458, § 3; Laws 2003, LB 31, § 1; Laws 2003, LB 242, § 6; Laws 2019, LB302, § 23; Laws 2025, LB317, § 172. Operative Date: July 1, 2025 Cross References: Industrial Ground Water Regulatory Act, see section 46-690.