U.S. Water News Online
LINCOLN, Neb. -- It's only June, and the Platte River is already running dry in some parts of central Nebraska, adding to area farmers' worries &emdash; and likely draining their pocketbooks later this summer.
As the region enters a fifth year of drought, the state's longest river is vanishing earlier this year than normal.
At Grand Island, measurements taken by the U.S. Geological Survey showed the Platte registering zero flows.
"The important thing to realize is that over a 70-year record at this gauge, the average flow on June 10 is 2,095 cubic feet per second,'' said Dan Hitch, a federal hydraulic technician at North Platte.
Cozad-area farmer Ron Stear, who is president of Cozad Ditch Co., said his company's irrigators will be lucky to have a 30-day supply of water this summer. About one-third of them will have to supplement with groundwater, he said.
To force those irrigators with wells to tap groundwater, the ditch company will charge $70 per acre for river water this year, nearly triple the usual $25 per acre.
Farmers will pay the higher price "if it's a choice of water or no water,'' Stear said.
Richard Hass, president of the Central Irrigation District based in Gering, called the recent levels the lowest he's seen the North Platte River in 42 years.
His district will get only one-third of its normal allocation of storage water this season, he said.
In a typical June, flows into Lake McConaughy, the state's largest reservoir, average 1,200 to 1,300 cubic feet per second. Recently, they measured 80 to 90 cubic feet per second.
"It's very disturbing,'' said Tim Anderson, spokesman for the Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District, which owns and operates the reservoir.
The lake rose 15 feet this spring from flows that came from mountain snowpack and Wyoming reservoirs. But the lake is at now 35 percent of capacity and dropping &emdash; even before the heavy irrigation season has begun.
The district will have enough water this summer to meet demand, Anderson said, but the future looks bleak.
"Unless we get some real good rains in June, July and August, the lake will be very, very low,'' he said.
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