News Release from
The Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District

Date: June 1, 2007
Contact: Tim Anderson, Public Relations Manager
Phone: (308) 995-8601

June 1, 2007 Board Meeting Summary

(HOLDREGE, Neb.) -- The Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District's board of directors voted Friday to authorize staff and legal counsel to initiate legal proceedings before the North Platte Natural Resources District and/or the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources to protect stream flows into Lake McConaughy.

The motion made by Doyle Lavene of Bertrand was seconded by Ogallala director Marty Mueller and passed unanimously.

"Due to ongoing concerns about Lake McConaughy's water supply, our irrigators and recreation interests at the lake, it is time to take action to protect flows into the lake from upstream interference," Lavene said.

Prior to the vote on Lavene's motion, the board passed a motion by Robert Dahlgren of Bertrand, seconded by Roger D. Olson of Holdrege, to delay consideration of legal action against groundwater users in the Pumpkin Creek watershed until the July 2 board meeting. Pumpkin Creek is a tributary to the North Platte River above Lake McConaughy. It also the source of an ongoing legal battle between the owners of Spear T Ranch and neighboring farmers and ranchers over the effects of groundwater use on stream flows.

General Manager Don Kraus characterized recent meetings between a negotiating committee comprised of Central board members and staff with representatives of the North Platte NRD as "productive," and yielding some positive developments.

Kraus said Central hopes to continue discussions with North Platte NRD representatives, but after delaying decisions to pursue legal remedies to the conflict on three previous occasions dating back to last September, Central's board voted unanimously to begin the process of seeking administrative protection of inflows to Lake McConaughy.

Also at Friday's meeting:

• The board awarded a contract to Dredge America of Kansas City, MO to remove sediment and debris from the base of Lake McConaughy's outlet tower. The cost estimate for the project, which is scheduled to begin in early September, is $280,440.

Sediment and sunken debris such as trees and limbs have accumulated over the years near the base of the outlet tower through which water releases from the lake are made. While not currently interfering with water releases, staff engineers recommended removal of the material while the lake is at lower levels to ease the removal process.

• The board passes a resolution granting an easement to Rockies Express Pipeline which is installing a 1,679-mile natural gas pipeline from Colorado to Ohio. The pipeline's route brings it through portions of Central's service area. The easement allows the pipeline to cross beneath existing irrigation canals along the route.

• Civil Engineer Cory Steinke reported that recent rainfall has not directly benefitted water levels at Lake McConaughy because the rain has fallen east of the lake. However, high flows in the South Platte River resulting from upstream have allowed Central to avoid releases through Kingsley Dam for several consecutive days.

The lake, Steinke said, is holding steady at around elevation 3219.4, but inflows have fallen to about 19 percent of the historical average.

"The lake had started dropping by this time last year," he said. "Since there's not yet demand for natural flow by any downstream canals and the higher South Platte flows should last for at least the next few days, we might catch up to last year's lake level by the end of next week."

Steinke also reported that Central had received permission from the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources to divert some water into Elwood Reservoir to help the lake's fish population. The DNR permitted diversions into the reservoir as long as flows in the Platte River remain above target flows established by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

• Conservation Director Marcia Trompke reported that rainfall for the first five months of 2007 has far exceeded the 30-year average in the Bertrand, Holdrege and Minden areas. Precipitation recorded at the Bertrand office since Jan. 1 comes to 16.12 inches, compared with an average for the period of 9.22 inches. Holdrege has measured 18.83 inches, compared with an average of 9.09 inches; and Minden has received 21.21 inches, compared with an average of 10.06 inches.

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