Colorado Water April 2006

• Year: 2006
• Title: Colorado Water
• Author: Water Center of Colorado State University
• Description: April 2006 Issue
• Publications - Doc Type: Newsletter

Ogallala SymposiumVenue for Discussion of Shared Interests
Lori Brunswig, Colorado State University
We are all tied together by a dependence on our water
resources, according to Jim Goeke, hydrogeolo-
gist with the University of Nebraska's West Central
Research & Extension Center. This dependence can
bring us together and did at the Ogallala Aquifer
Symposium held on February 20, 2006 at Wray, Col-
orado, which was attended by about 250 participants.
The continuing depletion of the Ogallala Aquifer and
the declining levels of the Republican River have
been the subject of much discussion, research, and
debate. The dispute Kansas had over shares of the
Republican River began in 1988 with Nebraska and
then included Colorado in 2000 continuing until 2002
when a final settlement was reached. The
amount of water Colorado and Nebraska can
pump from the Republican River basin is now
defined. What is not so clear is how the two
states will comply with the settlement.
Dave Barfield (Kansas Division of Water Re-
sources) reported that Kansas and Colorado
stopped well development by 1980 but in Ne-
braska 20,000 high capacity wells were devel-
oped since 1984, which added to the 100,000
wells already existing before that time. The
level of the Ogallala Aquifer under Nebraska has
changed very little over the years making it dif-
ficult for Nebraskans to understand their role in
creating the reduced flows of the Republican and
other rivers. According to Jim Goeke, Nebraska
is just beginning to understand the connection
between groundwater pumping and surface water
flows. Carol Angel (Colorado Attorney Gener-
al's office) stated that Colorado is currently in
debt to Kansas for taking more water than the al-
lotted amount in part due to the drought. Colora-
do has two years to get their water debt covered.
This dept is cumulative and must be made up or
a non - voluntary program will implemented.
(Above)
Jim Goeke (Univer-
sity of Nebraska)
answers questions
between presenta-
tions.
(Right)
Conference orga-
nizers Alan Helm
and Dennis Kaan
of CSU Coopera-
tive Extension take
a break during the
proceedings.
Mike Thompson (Nebraska Department of
Natural Resources) said that there are currently
37,000 acres in CREP and 10,000 acres in EQIP
in Nebraska. They are working on a long -term
strategy to reduce water pumping by using new
technologies, land retirement, and riparian veg-
etation management to comply with the compact.
According to Thompson, there is a need for
research to help farmers understand how to deal
with the water shortage.
Scott Richrath (Colorado's Division of Water Re-
sources) and Dennis Coryell (Colorado Ground
Water Commission) brought participants up to