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Description of the the Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District's Hydro-Irrigation Project The Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District was formed in 1933 and final approval for construction of the Project was given in 1935. Construction began in 1936,power was first generated at the Jeffrey Power Plant on Jan. 5, 1941, irrigation water was delivered for the first time during the summer of 1941 and the Project was officially completed in 1943. The Project provides irrigation,electricity,recreation,wildlife habitat,flood control and ground water recharge benefits to the State of Nebraska. The Central District is a political sub-division of the State of Nebraska with headquarters in Holdrege. It is governed by a 15-member board of directors elected from Gosper, Phelps, Kear- ney,Adams, Keith,Lincoln and Dawson counties. Directors are elected to serve six-year terms. Central's hydroelectric facilities are licensed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Central is currently seeking renewal of its long-term license to operate its hydroelectric facilities and is operating under an interim license,which is renewed annually pending issuance of the new license. Central's facilities begin with its main storage reservoir,Lake McConaughy. Formed by Kingsley Dam, a 3.1-mile-long hydraulic fill dam across the North Platte River,Lake McCon- aughy is Nebraska's largest reservoir with a storage capacity of almost 2 million acre-feet. The lake is 22 miles long,more than three miles wide and covers 30,500 acres at maximum fill. Water released from Lake McConaughy flows through Lake Ogallala to the Nebraska Public Power District's (NPPD) Keystone.Diversion Dam. Here the water can be diverted into NPPD's canal or passed through the dam down the North Platte River. Water which flows through NPPD's system is returned to the South Platte River just above Central's Diversion Dam,which is located below the confluence of the North and South Platte Rivers. Central's Diversion Dam, an 874-foot-long concrete and steel structure, diverts water through the headgates of the Supply Canal, or can pass water down river. The 75-mile-long Supply Canal delivers water to Central's three main irrigation canals: E65, E67 and Phelps. The E65 Canal starts above the inlet to Johnson Lake and the E67 Canal branches off the Supply Canal below the lake. The two canal systems serve about 48,000 acres in Gosper and western Phelps counties. Central's irrigation office in Bertrand is responsible for maintenance and irrigation service on the E65 and E67 systems. Elwood Reservoir, which was added to the system in 1976 as part of a major rehabilitation project, provides supplemental storage water to the E65 canal system. The reservoir is filled prior to the irrigation season by pumping water through the Carl T. Curtis Pump Station. The reservoir has an operational capacity of 24,715 acre-feet and a total capacity of more than 40,000 acre-feet. Central's Supply Canal ends at the headgates of the Phelps Canal and the J-2 River Return. Irrigation offices in Holdrege and Minden provide maintenance and irrigation services along the Phelps Canal system. The Holdrege office is responsible for approximately 31,600 acres in Phelps County and the Minden office serves about 25,600 acres in Kearney County. (Continued on back)