Find out more about settlement

Yes, the Republican River lawsuit has been settled, and, surprisingly, Nebraska didn't have to pay any damages to Kansas.

But, in the past few days, irrigators on the Nebraska side of the line have discovered that there's more to the story ... and that, in dry years, the settlement could have a significant impact on water use in the Republican River Valley.

In fact, it already is having an effect. In the top front page news story in Friday's Omaha World-Herald, Henry J. Cordes reported: "About 110 south-central Nebraska farmers are being told that they can't take water out of the Republican River this year."

The first to feel the effects of the water use restrictions are farmers who divert surface water from the river between Guide Rock, in Webster County, and Harlan County Reservoir, near Alma.

Harlan County is more than an hour's drive to the east. Does that mean irrigators further west will escape water restrictions? "Definitely not," says Dan Smith, manager of the Middle Republican Natural Resource District in Curtis "In water short years, irrigators throughout the Republican River Basin could be affected."

In Tuesday's article in the World-Herald, Cordes reports, "On average, Nebraska uses about 101 percent of the Republican River allotment. During dry years, Nebraska is using on average 15 percent more than its allotment." As is readily apparent from those figures, in years with normal or above precipitation, irrigation use will not have to be curtailed on the Nebraska side of the line. But, when moisture is short -- especially in the years of severe drought -- water use by farmers in the valley will be limited.

How severely? That will be discussed Tuesday in Imperial and McCook, when Roger Patterson of the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources comes to this area for Republican River meetings. The session in Imperial will be in the Chase County High School Auditorium, starting at 9 a.m. (MDT). The meeting in McCook will be in the Community Building at the Red Willow County Fairgrounds, starting at 3 p.m. (CDT).

A lot is happening on the water scene. Not only has the Republican River lawsuit been settled, but Nebraska's Department of Natural Resources and the state's Natural Resource Districts are moving forward with the metering of irrigation wells and policies regulating both groundwater (which is pumped from wells) and surface water (which comes from lakes and rivers).

To keep abreast of the coming changes -- and the effects of the Republican River settlement -- Smith encourages irrigators to attend one of the Tuesday sessions. "In water short years, we're going to be forced to look at reduction of the acres which can be irrigated," he said. With 3,300 irrigation wells in the Middle Republican district alone, the impact could be extensive, and it will benefit irrigators to know the potential impact on their farming operation.