News Release from
The Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District

Date: July 6, 2010
Contact: Tim Anderson, Public Relations Manager
Phone: (308) 995-8601

July Board of Directors Board Meeting Summary

(HOLDREGE, Neb.) — The Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District approved, subject to legal review, an agreement with the Tri-Basin Natural Resources District that will provide water for the Platte River that the NRD can use to offset depletions to stream flows that occurred after July 1, 1997.

The agreement provides for up to 2,500 acre-feet of water to be delivered annually to the Platte River at the Johnson No. 2 Return southeast of Lexington over five years.

The water comes from surface water appropriations, or water rights, that were recently relinquished by Central’s irrigation customers.

Tri-Basin NRD would pay variable rates for the water over the course of the agreement, depending upon whether Central determines if allocations of water to its customers is necessary because of storage conditions at Lake McConaughy.

The annual water service charges would be as follows:

The agreement is subject to approval by the Tri-Basin NRD's board of directors.

In other activity at Tuesday’s monthly meeting:

• The board of directors approved a motion for Central to file a notice of termination of the master leases for cabin-owners’ associations at Jeffrey and Midway lakes on Central’s Supply Canal.  Central is hopeful that existing cabin owners would be willing to enter into new leases with Central, drafts of which were mailed to cabin-owners at the two lakes.

The action is intended to resolve litigation over lot lease fees that has been ongoing since 1995 when cabin-owners sued to prevent Central from charging lot lease fees at the lakes.

• Civil engineer Cory Steinke said inflows to Lake McConaughy are expected to remain well above normal for most of July and the reservoir continues to rise. Lake McConaughy had reached elevation 3258.0 feet above sea level on Tuesday, which is 24.6 feet higher than last year at this time. The lake contains 1.53 million acre-feet of water, compared with 945,300 acre-feet last July 6.

Steinke said the supply of water is much higher this year, while irrigation demand remains well below normal for this time of year. He said officials with the Department of Natural Resources in Bridgeport are reporting hail damage to crops in parts of the Panhandle which is likely to further reduce demand for irrigation deliveries upstream.

He said that Central is required by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to have Lake McConaughy below elevation 3260.0 feet by Oct. 1, an elevation intended to reduce damage to riprap protection on the face of Kingsley Dam from wind-driven waves. Keeping the reservoir below that elevation will be a chore, Steinke said, because of the combination of high releases from nearly full reservoirs on the North Platte River in Wyoming and lower than normal irrigation demand throughout much of the Platte Valley. However, he said, plans are in place to operate the system in a manner that will keep Lake McConaughy below elevation 3260.0 by the target date.

• Gothenburg Division Manager Kevin Boyd reported that Central is waiting for flows in the Platte River to go down so Central crews can assist smaller irrigation projects with rebuilding sand dams that help divert water into their canals.

Boyd said recent high flows washed out the sand dams and continued precipitation has hampered efforts to replace the dams.

“The rainfall has contributed to continued high flows in the river, which prevents equipment needed to rebuild the dams from entering the river channel,” Boyd said. “At the same time, continued rain reduces the demand for irrigation water, so that has reduced the need to divert water into the canals.”

• State Senator Tom Carlson of Holdrege complimented Central for its efforts over the years to provide water for irrigation and groundwater recharge and to store water for times of shortage.

“During times like these when we see too much water flowing through the state and down to the Missouri River, it really helps us recognize the importance of capturing water for times of shortage and I think it’s also crucial for groundwater recharge,” Sen. Carlson said. “I told the (Republican River Water Sustainability) Task Force that we need to look at ways to increase the use of surface water for irrigation, rather than trying to curtail it. What Central does is vitally important for groundwater recharge and helps take the pressure off of those who pump water for irrigation.”

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