Basin-to-Basin plan to be investigated

Steve Smith of Imperial (left) and Roger Patterson of Lincoln, director of the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources, discuss Smith's concept of basin-to-basin water transfers to address Nebraska's compliance with the settlement of the Kansas vs. Nebraska Republican River Compact lawsuit.
(Connie Jo Discoe/McCook Daily Gazette)

[Click to enlarge]

Steve Smith of Imperial said he was pleased that the organization agreed to explore the basin-to-basin water transfer concept he is proposing.

"We need local support and input from the people who manage our water," Smith said. Smith's plan is to import water from the Platte River Basin to the Republican River Basin at Harlan County Dam, whose water levels are used to determine whether Nebraska is complying with the settlement of the Compact lawsuit, and that Kansas is receiving its share of water -- 40 percent -- in the Republican River Basin.

In Nebraska, the settlement has created the need for farmers and ranchers to cut back on the water they use in their operations. More restrictions and adjustments are necessary in dry years.

To use less water in the basin, irrigation districts have cut back or eliminated releases from Republican River reservoirs and Natural Resource Districts have developed allocation programs. Landowners are encouraged to grow dryland crops rather than irrigated crops or irrigated crops that require less water, and to take advantage of federal incentive programs such as EQIP (Environmental Quality Incentive Program) and CREP (Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program), which are designed to take irrigated crop land out of production.

Smith said, "Even with EQIP and CREP and water reductions and restrictions, there is not enough water to satisfy Kansas."

Smith told association members one solution to the problem is to import up to 30,000 acre-feet of water each year from the Holdrege-area of Phelps County along natural waterways into Harlan County Dam.

"We would lease water from irrigators around Holdrege," Smith said. "We would pay them for the use of this water. There would be no new wells or new water uses."

The 20-year plan would cost approximately $6 million per year -- split evenly between the Republican River NRDs, the State of Nebraska and the federal government.

Smith said in dry years, the entire $6 million would be used to import water. In wet years, water transfers could continue or be suspended. "If we transport water even in years we don't need it, we could fill Harlan County Dam over the years," he said, although he emphasized that filling the Harlan dam is not the sole purpose of the program.

Smith said that because Nebraska could import more water into Harlan than it is required to release under existing distribution agreements with Kansas, it is possible to exchange this water for captures in higher-elevation reservoirs.These captures can be offset by releases from the imported water. Over time, this would allow all reservoirs in the Republican basin to fill, Smith said, while remaining in compliance with the compact and the lawsuit settlement.

Smith said the area of Phelps County from which he is proposing leasing the water has had a 50- to 150-foot increase in the water table in the last 50 years.

In the lawsuit settlement, Nebraska is given 100 percent "credit" for water transferred into the Republican River Basin.

Roger Patterson, director of the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources, said this is why imported water is preferred to water leased from within the Republican River Basin. "One acre-foot of imported water is worth two acre-feet of water in the Republican River Basin," Patterson said.

Patterson said of Smith's concept, "This by itself doesn't solve potential (settlement compliance) problems, but it could be a piece."

Patterson said he is unsure right now what permits moving water from one basin to another might need. Thinking out loud, he also wondered about contracts with the Central Nebraska Public Power District and contracts "with the partnering landowners and somebody," and working with the Bureau of Reclamation and the Corps of Engineers for the storage of the water.

Under this concept, Patterson said, surface water could be used as well as ground water. He cautioned, however, "We can't add any new depletion from the Platte River Basin because of the endangered species act."

Mike Clements of Alma, general manager of the Lower Republican NRD, encouraged association members to "think outside the box."

"My initial reaction (to this concept) was that it won't work," he admitted. "But, after a lot of thought, I decided, 'maybe it won't, but maybe it will'."

"We need to be open-minded," Clements said. "We need to research this further."

Clements suggested taking the concept to the boards of the NRD's and the irrigation districts and forming a committee within the association to research Smith's concept.

Dave Walton, also of the LRNRD, made a motion to support Smith's concept and any other approaches and concepts that may improve the water situation in the Republican River Basin. "This is just an investigation," Walton said. "We need to explore this."

Kevin Fornoff of the MRNRD seconded Walton's motion. The motion carried.

Patterson said he plans to tell Compact officials of this concept when they meet in Denver Wednesday.

Smith said he was pleased his concept is receiving basin-wide consideration. "This is one part of a much larger solution," Smith said.

Smith said basin-to-basin transfers have been considered before, "but this (concept) is trading consumptives use, rather than taking water right out of the Platte River."

"The timing is right now," Smith said. "Everything is lining up to work now."

WaterClaim.org Web site:

http://waterclaim.org/