News Release from
The Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District

Date: April 16, 2007
Contact: Tim Anderson, Public Relations Manager
Phone: (308) 995-8601

Central Preparing Canals for Irrigation Season

(HOLDREGE, Neb.) -- The Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District began diversions into its main irrigation canals on Monday in preparation for the coming irrigation season.

To conserve storage water in Lake McConaughy, Central will use available natural flow as much as possible to begin filling the canals. Natural flow is water that has originated from a source other than reservoir storage; for example, rainfall or snowmelt runoff or water that migrates underground to the river.

The gradual process of filling the irrigation system, also known as "seasoning the canals," is necessary each spring because the canals are drained of water at the end of the preceding irrigation season.

Canals act like dry sponges in the spring. Just as a dry sponge has the capacity to absorb water until it is saturated, the soil storage capacity of canal banks must be filled before they can efficiently convey water.

The process of filling more than 500 miles of canals, pipelines and laterals takes several weeks at relatively low flow rates, but slowly filling the system minimizes bank erosion and subsequent maintenance/repair costs.

Irrigation deliveries are scheduled to take place over an eight-week period -- June 26 through Aug. 21 -- four weeks shorter than a normal delivery season.

In addition to the shorter delivery period, irrigation customers on Central's E65, E67 and Phelps Canals will be limited to 6.7 inches per acre in 2007. It will be the third year in a row that normal deliveries (15-18 inches per acre) have not been available because of low storage conditions at Lake McConaughy caused by the extended drought, low inflows, and streamflow depletions resulting from groundwater pumping above the lake.

###