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<br />Sign the Platte deal
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<br />.' Gov. Dave Hei- 3-state accord . federal government,
<br />. '\ jleman. signs a recognizes all . Nebraska, Colorado
<br />. three-state Platte .' and. Wyoming to do
<br />-Riv.er agreement, in of riow;er's users, what can be done .for
<br />thel,works for years, it ' not just central Platte, wildlife'
<br />is01siIid that Nebraska the birds. without drying up
<br />wl1Fhave surrendered lakes, . shutting off
<br />. to"forces who seek "to Gro;j1ndwater faucets . to cities' or
<br />drag us back into the irriga. tors cannot turning off irrigation' .
<br />.. 1?,~h' century. pre-de- be ma,ae;immue.' wells' that existed in
<br />v\ll,1?,Pment era!' So -. " . that ye(lr.. , .' .
<br />wa~Ij1s a spokesman for.a group of The pendmg deal; WhICh mcorpo-
<br />g,r~W1dwater irrigators', !..rates the first one,: essentlally 'UP-
<br />;~191 analyze this extravagant pre- holds first-in.time, -first-in-right ~s
<br />diction by Nebraskans First Exe~u- , the fairest way to allocate the riv-
<br />tive Director Don Adams - and',1o-. er. The . parties have cooperated
<br />see the. logic for why. Heinellllln reasonablY well. Even. the federill
<br />should ~ign the Platte River Recov- regulators have refrained from.us-
<br />ery Implementation Plan - let's ing their Big l,Vlac' water. right ,un.,
<br />1001, at a little history, ' der the preliminary accord as this
<br />.:Pliiv<<;,lopment .of the Platte has drought goes on.
<br />l\~y<jr been solely a Nebraska af- dreds of wells servin
<br />fair, AS' previously noted in. this some 450, 00 acres were drille III
<br />space, . the oldest surface.water the, F%tte " er.e . eO.
<br />rights in the Platte basin are held in s ate. agreement str.essed tl1at
<br />Colorado, dating to 1859. there ought not-be anymore, ;
<br />. Some way was needed for all the The final' agreement req!lires
<br />people tapping a fertile river in: an little of Nebraska that it 'hadn't
<br />arid region to share it. Thus the agreed to 10 years ago, But it does
<br />.principle of first in time, first in call on the state to make up for
<br />right: Properties where Platte )!Va- what those extra wells are. taking
<br />ter fir~t was used have first calL: and will take away from the river.
<br />Later, people discovered all im- The state already resolved to roll
<br />men~e pool of water below the back irrigation in overtaxed river
<br />praitie' Even as the great dams ard basins when_ Legislative Bill 962
<br />irrigfltion canals. developed on the was enacted, in 2004. It was largely
<br />North Platte m the early 1900s; because Hememan wanted to, de-
<br />grounllwater wells were sprouting termine whether the Platte' River
<br />downstream, . agreement would greatly. add to
<br />)?eople tltpught the groundwater that burden. that the parties 'are
<br />was ap extra. water source,. BuLlt likely to delayits.signing.deiIdline,
<br />isn't: The waters below are linked from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31. -
<br />to the waters above: Therein lies'a New;cost estimates fromthe'Ne-
<br />reality that Nebraska didn't even braska Department of Natural Re-
<br />aclrnowledge legally until 1996. " " 'sourcesp.eg the rough cost to idle
<br />That irrigation is gold for Ne- or retire post-1997 irrigated acres
<br />braska is beyond dispute, So is the due to the Platte agreement at $8
<br />economic pain a rollback would million to $11 million, But that
<br />bring. But this drought has rein- compares with an overall estimate
<br />forced hydrological truth. Anyone of up to $90 million to. curtail irri-
<br />. who,drives Interstate 80 can'see it. gation in the basin under LB 962.
<br />Tl\"e.)~latte !las gone an but dry, . ,Whe.n, Adams" of' Nebraskans
<br />for perIOds near Grand' Island but First, offered his doomsday sce-
<br />continues, to ,flow near ri:Ver~'s' end .., nario last ,week in Gering, western.;
<br />south of Omaha. But for the inflows. Nebraska supporters of the Platte
<br />from the Elkhorn and LoupRiyer' - River'deal raised a different possi-
<br />syStemS - largely. fed by ground-, . b'ilit'y: With no deal, federal regula-
<br />. witer. under the Sand Hills - the tors ,could: order nearly three times
<br />. Platte would be dry there, too. !is much water as they.now hold in
<br />Irrigation wells and center pivots McConaughy to head, straight,
<br />haVe' spread up and down the Platte' downstream from Wyommg to the
<br />system, (Cities are making greater central Platte to. help the birds.
<br />use'of the river, too, but their share Just .how would that be good for
<br />ofu$age pales before that of agri- Nebraska agi-!c111ture?
<br />cultUre,) All this pumping ,has The proposed agreement, in oth-.
<br />p)~i~d a part in dry~g up the'cen- . er. words, would give I:<ebraska a
<br />tral Platte and turnmg upstream: c;hance to pursue habItat-promo-
<br />Lal,e.McConaughy into Little Mac. tion methods that would require
<br />-d\nd then there are the birds, The. far less water than what the U.S.
<br />last"IIH!.ior drought, aroUnd 1990, Fish and Wildlife Service would
<br />was 'about the time environmental- otherwise require"
<br />iSla insisted that endangered bird Some Nebraska, irrigators seem
<br />speCies along the central Platte, in. to persistjn intellectual denial that
<br />'lssll!1ce, had federal water rights . what they pump from under the
<br />predating. even white settlement ground can draw down their riv-
<br />,TIi,at was when the federal gov, ers. It's likely that many more are
<br />. eT!lwent ordered Water to be re- in economic denial: They know t~e
<br />l'l!is~d from Kingsley Dam - in the - truth but are too deeply mvested m
<br />mias,t of that drought - to aid the. their wells.not to fight for them. '
<br />bitds, That unhappy memory.has )3ut the Midlands indeed canilOt
<br />been tapped by groups such as Ne- go, back to the 1850s" The birds,
<br />braskans First ever since. ' ditch. and pivot irrigators, power
<br />" "They ignore one thing, however 'generators, communities', hunters,
<br />-'"-'a.'good 15 years of work by lead.. anglers, boaters, sunbathers and
<br />ers\in this region to convince Jed- ecotourists have no choice but to
<br />e.rllLregulators that the Platte can- . livetogether and.share the river.
<br />not:!ie managed for the birds' bene- The Platte River agreement does
<br />fit-arpne. Jhat as fairly'as seems possible.
<br />,T.he , f~rs: ,P~~t!: River ag!~e,Heine~an shoul_d ~eep.~e?r~ska's-
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