WSP00118

• File Number: 8449.921
• Description: Lower Platte Tri-County Project Water Demand & Power Studies
• State: NE
• Basin: South Platte
• Date: 1/1/1923
• Author: Univer. Of Nebraska
• Title: Report of Certain Investigations on the Central Nebraska Supplemental Irrigation Project
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Publication

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DEPARTMENT.. OF PUBLIC. WORKS

199

REPORT OF CERTAIN INVESTIGATIONS
: ON THE

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CENTRALN1';BRASKA SUPPLEMENTAL IRRIGATION PROJEcr".
W., W, 'BURR and J. C. RUSSEL.

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"!Department ot Agronomy, University of Nebraska::

In this report are discussed some of the agricultural aspeds con-
cerning the' feasibility of supplemental irrigation in the area known
as'. the Central Nebraska Supplemental Irrigation Project. This
report does' not concern itself with the engineering features' of
the projed, which involve the type, ni"anner arid cost of coil~truction'
of laterals, canals, ana storage.t Obviously the construction cost is
~< l.ig ] ,,~1.01' ill de1 ermining the feasibility of theproje:;.

. The investigations covered by this report were undertaken at
the request of Mr. C. :W.McConaughy, President of the Central Neb-
raskaSupplemental Water Association and Mr. A. Lincoln Fellows, of
the U. S. Bureau of Public Roads, the latter having been assigned by..the
Secretary of Agriculture to prepare a report for the Secretary of the
Interior, setting. forth the feasibility of irrigation in this distrid.

The distinctive feature of this irrIgation project is the clear recog-
nition that the rainfall of the district is generally almost sufficient,
but seldom quite enough, for the satisfactory production of crops and
that what is needed is a supplementing supply that will tend to insure
more certain ahd profitable production. The early contemplation of the
'p.r..oj,e.ct was .to meet th.e deficiency of rainfall thru the storage of water
in . the....subsoil. This project is therefore a departure from' the usual
custom of e'l" ablishing . irrigation projects under stridly arid con-
ditions. . Furt ermore the land in the proposed district is not new, but
for many yea s has been under private ownership' and much of it
has been unde~ cultivation for upwards of fifty years. '. .

The main)questions considered in this investigation of the project
were, first, lohe probable average deficiency of rainfall f?r'the
satis.f~c:~ry ptodudi?n of .crops . t~ruout the district and, s.econ~, the
posslblhtles . o~ meetIng' thIS defICIency thru the storage of mOIsture
in the sub~oil \01' by direct application of water in the growing season.

I, LOCATION OF PROJECT

This proled is located' inSouth-cential Nebraska, comprising
portions of A ams, Kearney, Phelps, and Gospel' Counties. It lies be-
tween North I titude 40'35' and 40040' and West longitude 99'15' and 90.

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'" Thi's" repo"ct is in part taken' from "a" previot1:-l repcrt mlldc by the same
authors to Mt. A. Lincoln FPllows, of the U. 's. Department of: Agriculture.
. t A complete dr~tai1ed re:port on the engineering features of th"? project \Vas
made by Mr. F. F. Smith of the' U...S. neclamation Office. '. ....
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