New system offers solution for gauging river

Thanks to the Legislature and taxpayers of Nebraska, irrigators who gave up their rights to Republican River water last year will be paid as promised.

If the Friends of the River lawsuit is successful, and new taxes are ruled unconstitutional, the $9 million from the state's cash reserve will be paid back to the state through the tax in question or some other mechanism approved by the Legislature.

But it turns out that much of the water purchased for the purpose of fulfilling Nebraska's obligation to Kansas is lost before it actually reaches the Kansas border.

Colorado is dealing with the issue by constructing a pipeline to deliver the needed water directly to the measuring station on the Nebraska border.

Clearly, some sort of method is needed to determine that Nebraska's water is getting to Kansas where it belongs.

Budget constraints make it unlikely that a pipeline like Colorado's could be constructed in Nebraska, but perhaps there is a more economical solution.

Dye injected into Nebraska's water near the border would make it clear exactly which water is entering Kansas from the north. Modern technology involving spectrum analysis could yield water measurements orders of magnitude more accurate than the archaic methods now employed.

When the idea was first floated a couple of weeks ago, biodegradable green dye was considered, as a reminder of the need for ecologically sound solutions to the problem. There are problems with that color, however, as it mimics naturally-occurring algae that also must be monitored carefully.

The current coloration of choice is red, which offers fewer complications for the freshwater ecosystem.

That way, Kansas officials could determine just what portion of Republican River water originated in the Cornhusker State.

We've heard rumors, however, that Kansas water officials have a plan of their own to use blue coloration in tributaries south of the border to determine just how much of the final flow actually originates in the Sunflower State.

Mixed with the red water flowing from Nebraska, the result would be decidedly purple.