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n <br />1+1 <br />Reach 19: Odessa, NE gage to Grand Island, NE gage <br />The principal canals or irrigation districts that have irrigated lands in reaches 10, and 14 <br />through 19 are listed below. These irrigation districts and/or canals could potentially be <br />involved in a leasing program. <br />Reach 14: Keith - Lincoln Canal, Paxton - Hershey Canal, North Platte Canal, Suburban <br />Canal and Cody - Dillon Canal <br />Reach 15: CNPPID <br />Reach 16: CNPPID, Six Mile Canal, Thirty Mile Canal, Orchard - Alfalfa Canal, Cozad <br />and Gothenburg Canals <br />Reach 17: CNPPID and Dawson County <br />Reach 18: CNPPID and Kearney Canal <br />Reach 19: CNPPID <br />Basic Description: <br />A voluntary temporary leasing program would provide incentives to farmers to annually <br />lease water supplies that would otherwise have been used for irrigation. The amount of <br />water available to the Program consists of the reduction in consumptive use. The project <br />evaluated assumes that leased water rights are dependent on storage rights in Lake <br />McConaughy. In general, water will be leased from an irrigation district or farmer with <br />storage rights in Lake McConaughy. The reduction in consumptive use will likely be <br />added to the EA when storage space is available and released during times of shortage at <br />the critical habitat. The EA may not always be available to re- regulate downstream <br />reductions in consumptive use, however, the opportunity for an exchange is greater if <br />leasing is associated with a water right dependent on storage. For example, irrigation <br />releases from Lake McConaughy for CNPPID and Nebraska Public Power District <br />(NPPD) could be reduced, which would result in corresponding increases in the EA. <br />Although it may be feasible to lease natural flow water rights, it will be more difficult to <br />insure protection. <br />Under a temporary lease, irrigation districts or farmers would not relinquish ownership of <br />their water rights. Pending approval of new legislation, water supplies could be leased for <br />five years with an option to renew at the conclusion of the contract for another five years. <br />To provide maximum flexibility the mix of farms participating in the program would be <br />allowed to change overtime. The leasing program that has been analyzed considers <br />leasing approximately 25,500 ac -ft annually, which corresponds to a reduction of about <br />17,000 ac -ft/yr delivered on farm and a reduction in consumptive use of about 8,400 ac- <br />ft/yr. <br />On -Site Hydrologic Effects: <br />Estimates of on -site yield and timing presented below were based on the Final Report. <br />The number of acres that were assumed to be included in a leasing program are <br />summarized in the following table. The acreage is based on the assumption that the full <br />water supply and associated reductions in consumptive use consist of storage water. <br />Many acres below Lake McConaughy receive storage water primarily as a supplement to <br />natural flow supplies. To the extent that storage is used to supplement natural flow <br />supplies, the acreage included in a leasing program and the yield it can produce may need <br />to be adjusted. <br />\ \DN00\E- DRIVE \PROJECTS\Platte \Work Products \Task 9 \wapc report (Version 7).doc 16 <br />