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<br />By Jim Aucoin
<br />, .JULfo:SRlIIlG, Cola, - The
<br />sand-lof,ge<! flows or the
<br />South Platte River, which en.
<br />ters Nebraska jtLs"l north of
<br />here, could be reduced by as
<br />much as oIlc--Ullrd if Oolorado
<br />inleresLs build tbe proposed
<br />NalTOws Darn, according to
<br />. \ :l\.'l'ragc yearly flow projec.
<br />lions, .
<br />But some Neuraska water
<br />inlpft'sl<; are looking beyond
<br />I Ill' average-rIow data to St."e
<br />the dam as an opportunity to
<br />('\'('11 oul the Soulh Platle's
<br />en-aUt Dows, i,>iving Ne.
<br />br;tska 1('s..''; water during the
<br />t10(){! years and morc dming
<br />drollghls. Others, p;irUcu-
<br />Jar!) operators of irrigation
<br />canals in Nebraska, see the
<br />dam as a means of [educing
<br />the' lOlls of sand tile river
<br />d{'posiLs in lhcir diversion
<br />c:lllals \vlJen it is Oowing at
<br />Illgh'1age,
<br />
<br />However, just as Colorado
<br />in[c'!"csts an: bt'ginning to in-
<br />cn':lSC their efforts to cap-'
<br />lure Npbraska support for
<br />lhe higilly conlrovl:'rsial proj-
<br />pet, possible d{'sib'l1 changes
<br />in the dam could eraporate
<br />much of the support the proj-
<br />IT! already has among Ne.
<br />br:lskans.
<br />'I'l1e 1I,S, !lw'eJll o[ Recla-
<br />1l1:llion is re-examining the
<br />(\,!m's ability to hold noodwa-
<br />1t>rs and it is pos,".;ible thatl..he
<br />J'('servoir, which would be
<br />conslructed on tile SOUUl
<br />I'bltc H.iveI' near Fort Mor-
<br />gan, Colo., would have little
<br />or no flood storage if new
<br />c;l!culatiolls do not show an
<br />unprovclnrnt in 111e cost-ben-
<br />{'[Il anJlysL<.;, S<lid Hoger Wei.
<br />
<br />BUREAU OF RECLMIATION
<br />NEWS CLIPS
<br />THE LINCOLN STAR
<br />Lincoln, Nebraska
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<br />delman, chief oe' p11nn.ing' at
<br />the bureau's Denver regional
<br />office. ' .
<br />,-
<br />Less storage
<br />"We're hopeful there will
<br />be some nood storage,'" said
<br />Weidelman, "bul it might not
<br />be as large a magnitude as .
<br />originally plannNi."
<br />Without Oood storage, "Ne-
<br />9r:lt;':b'~ inlpr!">"f wOllld hP.
<br />considerablv less " said J tick
<br />II art, Gov, Charles Thone's
<br />natural resources policy
<br />coordinator. "We've. got to
<br />try to do whalevC:r can be
<br />done to make sure it does
<br />.have flood storage."
<br />.- Kent Miller. manager of
<br />the Twin Platte Natur~l Hp..
<br />sources District in North
<br />Platte and a major Nebraska
<br />supporter of UlC project, says
<br />he is' very concerned Utat the
<br />Oood-storage feature of the
<br />reservoir could be reduced or
<br />eliminatccl He said he L<:> not
<br />sure UlCre would be any ben-
<br />~ cht to Nebraska without
<br />flood storage.
<br />Gary Friehauf, manager
<br />of the Lower South Platte
<br />Water Conservancy District,
<br />which has propos(~1 bllilding
<br />the N,:Jrrows project, said he
<br />wanL~ Nebraska's help in get-
<br />ting a $10 million fund, bill
<br />throllgh Congress that would
<br />allow the HIU'C:>3U of Hecla-
<br />mation to start acquiring
<br />land at the proposed damsile.
<br />The bill soon will be intro-
<br />duced by Rep, II allk !l[0\\1l,
<br />R-Colo" Friehauf saicL About
<br />'$8 mlllion has ah'eady been
<br />spent on land acquislion. .
<br />Friehauf said Nebraskans
<br />could help Coloradans deal
<br />with cenll-a] Nebraska wild-
<br />
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<br />Page ~,_.J::!L__._-'- __
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<br />WYOMING: Ivottl)/J NEBR. ',t',SI(A I
<br />I ~/~0 '/"!to ,
<br />I '/" ..,c-:-~
<br />----_____..1_____ lake 0~~.....'0.
<br />McConaughy North
<br />South Platte i Platte
<br />River I
<br />I
<br />I
<br />>~"'; 7h77/;lJil)m,'1',n"
<br />VlI/J.fF/II;/I/I, j I
<br />/jll/ilvlg11~011
<br />I 1~i%ii.f!~1
<br />~ ~1~~:M~1~
<br />-, v0!;;,/,1I"..:;Wff;"1
<br />~ '!!..0/1/~W'l/0/;7
<br />111;1/0'/" 1'l'/iI//;,)i
<br />..",S=OL9BAD.~_Jr?0YI&t.'i
<br />
<br />
<br />life interests concemed Ulat
<br />the project \\ill damage the
<br />ecology of the central Platte
<br />River, which is frequented by
<br />sandhill and whooping crJneS
<br />and other migralory water-
<br />fowl
<br />
<br />of TIrclnmat :O!) to s;x'nr.
<br />S500.{X)() Lo fInish studying Lhe
<br />projcC'L
<br />Weldelmal! scud tile p! 0].
<br />eel wou]d rr-ducc the a\'l'l"aJ,-;('
<br />annual Oow of t!le South
<br />P13.tle by as much <1:; 100.000
<br />197'7 delay acre-feet, cornp::~red wi~.h tIll'
<br />300,Ot.'X} acrc-(l>e~ now (';-;Cl;:,
<br />The project has J:x>en ;ng Ulto i\'d.Jrasb on the
<br />sLalle'd since it gained a
<br />average.
<br />pos.iUon on President Car~
<br />Fnchallf s:li(~ CUfTPI:[
<br />ter's 1977 "hit Ji,t" of walor
<br />plans call for thr rr.sGTOlr to
<br />_.projects that should be hold aoout ;).:}.J.C-fl aCH:.fpc:.
<br />scrapped becau.:,c of emiron- About lc.::,fY.f1 aC:'l'.fl'd ;~r;,
<br />mental or economic prob- nua]])" WO;l:G :;.e ~::~c,~ {"i" irTi
<br />lerns. Funds for the projr-ct galior\ in U:{' rL.ilTO',l,' South
<br />were withdrav.11 by Sene- Platle IU\"t,[ \,<:_:,'t',\ LI{'l v, l'U-
<br />tary of Interior Cecil Andnl$.
<br />Fort !\iOft-::l;-; ;\;;c! l!:e (ldorJ'
<br />One of the Cart.er adrnbis- (b-!\'ehr2.:;..~J l."':n:~';-. he <"<lid
<br />tralian's key objections, said An ('n\"l[():~r:l\'J)t<ll Hnpile:
<br />FIiehauf, was that the Nar- statement P;-~'f';;r('d by P~f:'
<br />rows project would ham the Bureau or nH'la;I1~i!jOJ1 .'<l\'~'
<br />centrdl Platte River water- the rescr.:oir, ;.:.5 presently
<br />fowl habitat. '-'We're not hear- designed. would pro\'ide bel.
<br />ing those objections from thLll ler management of the nows
<br />. (Reagan) adminLc;trntion," he The river is natur,-d:', [lcklt said. with PJr:hlv '\"3.rbbl~ rlU\'.~
<br />The H.eagan admi.ni'5tra. - -- -
<br />lion has allowed the Bureau See NARROWS on P2ge 8B
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