1991 North Platte Hydrology Study

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r� -J • North Platte Project Pathfinder Dam Whalen Diversion Dam Since 1909, water for the North Platte Project has been diverted from the river by the Whalen Diversion Dam. Water is verted on the south side of the river into the railit'' al and on the north side of the river into the I ` C'i&1. The dam is a gravity, concrete ogee weir with an embankment wing which spans the river about 8 miles below Guernsey Dam. Feirt1 `#al This canal has an initial capacity of bic feet per second and winds its w "" " , o .> , Nebr., delivering water to farms all along its course. It also originally carried water for operating the Lingle Powerplant, which was retired in April 1956. The canal was constructed during 1915 -24. Ia " _ te�'C tal artdiReservoir System The Interstate Canal has an i ' 0 coda#. pereod. Constructed during 1905 -15, it follows the contour of the land for'' rrtlie8 td`tiW Alice and Lake Minatare Reservoirs northeast of Scotts- bluff, Nebr. The 37 -mile Hf0 fiW Canal ' , 's 1i nnr Lake Alice to the southwest. Tho*WO#Mott-t-a'pacityi§-46W.vtiihic feet per second. The construction period was 1910 -13. The Loft -1 et!�:� �H tare southwest. It is 4* it +%tg and has a diversion capa- city of c feet per second. Lake Alice, Lake Minatare, Lake Winters Creek, and Reservoir No. 2 fstt*tnWequalk r s. The 3 Guernsey Dam and Reservoir reservoirs are fed from water diverted at Whalen Diver- sion Dam through the Interstate Canal, which ends at Lake Alice. The Reservoir Supply Canal carries water to the other reservoirs, which are usually filled each year before the start of the irrigation season. Natural depres- sions were made into important reservoirs by building the Upper and Lower Dams at Lake Alice and Minatare Dams. The cqMW cap acify is abatirii 73,bb0 ac t. Northport Canal Water for the N61 Y' ftf€ ' °i wmilts th' a -ate `Canaf 'bf`ihe Fafnrn s'- ion The Northport Canal, a continuation of the privately constructed Tri -State Canal, was designed to irrigate 16,170 acres in the Northport Division. The canal is 28 miles long and has a diversion capacity of 250 cubic feet per second. Ti*-,W CAAA, divarts.water,_stored a in project res. ; tri the North Platte 'lfiver in`'Nebrask%. DEVELOPMENT Early History In the early days the trade route to the west beyond the Rocky Mountains followed the North Platte River. Many historic trails wound their way from the east along the North Platte and Sweetwater Rivers to cross the Con- tinental Divide at South Pass. Stage stations, trading posts, and army forts were scattered along the trails but, with the advent of the railroad in the late 1860's, the trails began to disappear. Two old forts, Fort Laramie and Fort Caspar, have been restored for their historical value.