Experts lay out three options for Republican River Compact complaince

OBERLIN, Kan. -- Nebraska water experts developed three options in a three-state "WaterSMART" study funded in 2012 to help the state maintain compliance with 1943 Republican River Compact regulations and to maximize beneficial ground and surface water use in the river basin.

Members of the Republican River Restoration Partners (RRRP) organization listened at their meeting Tuesday in Oberlin as David Kracman of Lincoln, a water resources planner at The Flatwater Group, representing the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources, explained the Nebraska options which include two pipeline projects into Swanson Lake west of Trenton.

WaterSMART (Sustain and Manage American Resources for Tomorrow) is a Department of the Interior project that funds basin studies to help ensure sustainable water supplies by identifying strategies to address imbalances in water supply and demand, and to evaluate the impacts of climate change.

The Bureau of Reclamation plays a key role in the WaterSMART program as the Department's main water management agency. The Bureau's responsibility within the program is achieved through administration of grants and studies, technical assistance and scientific expertise.

The RRRP works to positively effect management of the riparian area of the Republican River and its tributaries in Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska. The group's goals are to foster cooperation between the three states to develop a regional plan for the watershed, to increase economic development throughout the area, to increase the quantity and quality of water within the watershed and to increase educational opportunities in regard to water quantity and quality.

The Bureau, the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources and the states of Kansas and Colorado were awarded the $413,000 WaterSMART grant in 2012 to study the Republican River Basin. The study will be completed in 2016.

Three options developed and studied in Nebraska through WaterSMART were the Swanson Reservoir Enhanced Storage "pump-back" project, irrigation canal recharge and the location of a new dam below Harlan County Lake.

1. Two pipeline "pump-back" projects into Swanson Lake are projected to store water from the Frenchman Creek and the Republican River downstream of Swanson, helping the state comply with Kansas' water supply demands within Compact regulations and to improve water supply reliability for Frenchman Cambridge Irrigation District (FCID) water users.

Both plans use existing reservoir operations. The pump-back would be used only during non-Compact Call years (23 years projected between 2011 and 2060).

-- "Alternative 3A" is an 11.3-mile, 3,000-gallon-per-minute pipeline from a new Frenchman Creek intake structure at Palisade to a new outlet structure on Swanson Reservoir. It would pump 7,000 acre-feet into Swanson Lake, and provide more water for FCID diversions. It would, however, mean reduced levels at Harlan County Lake and a few thousand acre-feet lower at Nebraska Bostwick Irrigation District (NBID) diversions downstream (compared to a no-action baseline). It is estimated to cost $72 million.

-- "Alternative 3B" is a 17.4-mile, 5,000-gallon-per-minute pipeline from a new Republican River intake structure to a new outlet structure at Swanson Lake. It would increase Swanson Lake by 10,000 acre-feet and provide more water for FCID diversions. It would however, also mean reduced levels at Harlan County Lake and a few thousand acre-feet lower at NBID diversions downstream (compared to a no-action baseline). 3B is estimated to cost $164 million.

2. "Non-Irrigation Season Canal Recharge," on the Culbertson Canal, Cambridge Canal and Franklin Canal would be able to divert close to 10,000 acre-feet, during non-Compact Call years and only during non-irrigation seasons (mid-September through early/mid-May).

Recharge means returns back to the river are delayed, often mitigating damages from high flows.

In summary, the Culbertson, Cambridge and Franklin canals all have recharge potential for non-irrigation season diversions, providing a consistent supply of at least 10,000 acre-feet.

An additional benefit of the recharge project would be the ability to develop models studying beneficial ground water connections.

3. A new dam on Thompson Creek (near Riverton) could provide 550-2,000 acre-feet of water per year to the Franklin Canal. It would be allowed to store water only during the non-irrigation seasons of non-Compact Call years. While the capacity would vary, the Thompson Creek Reservoir level would be about 5,000 acre-feet.

The dam would provide an alternative supply source for water deliveries to the Franklin Canal and NBID, allowing Harlan County Lake to stay more full.

A pumping plant would be required to allow for the Franklin Canal connection, up to 11.1 cfs. An outlet to the creek would have a capacity of more than 400 cfs.

The dam would cost about $184 million.

In the WaterSMART Republican River study, Kansas officials examined increasing storage at Lovewell Dam. The Bureau's analysis indicates that the economic benefits of the expansion would outweigh the cost ($45 million), primarily due to increases in recreational opportunities at Lovewell.

The RRRP supports the storage increase at Lovewell.

Colorado's goal in the three-state WaterSMART project was to increase understanding of water supply and demand and the affects of climate change.

Aaron Thompson, area manager of the Bureau of Reclamation Nebraska-Kansas Area Office in McCook, said one of the best things to come out of the three-state WaterSMART-funded study is the evaluation of alternatives connected at Harlan County. He said the three states' reports will be available to the public once they're finalized and published next year.