WSP00209

• File Number: 8460.500
• Description: Platte River Recovery Plan
• Basin: South Platte
• Date: 5/30/2000
• Author: CWCB
• Title: Draft Water Action Plan
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Publication

Table III.22

G

round water Manal!ement - Vield to the Platte River
Option 1 Options 2 Option 3 Option 4
Month (ac-ft) (ac-ft) (ac-ft) (ac-ft)
October 0 0 0 0
November 0 0 0 -3,000
December 0 0 0 0
January 0 0 0 0
February 0 0 0 0
March 0 0 0 0
April 0 30 30 0
May 600 300 300 600
June 600 550 550 600
July 600 1080 1080 600
August 600 910 910 600
September 600 130 , 130 600
Annual 3000 3000 3000 0

Consideration will need to be given to whether the yields associated with some of these
groundwater management options should be discounted because those yields would be
provided through only a portion of the full habitat or whether there are other aspects of
the benefits provided by those projects which would justify giving them full credit.
Water returned to the Platte River via North Dry Creek or Lost Creek is introduced
partway into the critical habitat. Additional water returned to the Platte River via the
North Dry Creek cutoff or the Lost CreeWFt. Keamy cutoff flows through roughly 60
percent of the critical habitat.

Impacts on return flows or Platte River flows should be minimal if the implementation of
a groundwater management program yielding 3,000 ac-ftlyr results in maintaining the
water table at a level that does not create problems for residents and farmers.

o Legal and Institutional Requireme~ts for Implementation:

Certain groundwater management options can be accomplished under current Nebraska
water law. For example, no permit would be required to convert to dry-land farming and
a permit would only be required for conversion to groundwater irrigation if the well used
for that purpose has not yet been constructed. For dry-land farming, CNPPID would seek
a modification from the Nebraska DWR to increase the EA by the same amount of
reduced storage use. For a conjunctive use project, an intentional recharge permit would
most likely be required to recharge the aquifer. Although legislation exists regarding
intentional recharge permits it is untested. If this project targets storage water for
recharge then the use of the storage right,would ne~d to be changed to include recharge.
A permit would also be required to pump back into the CNPPID's distribution system if,
the well used for that purpose has not yet been constructed.

Actively pumping from high groundwater areas could face several legal obstacles.
Although current Nebraska water law w~uld not require a permit from the Nebraska
DWR to actively pump groundwater into North Dry Creek or Lost Creek, there is

c:\Drnft Wilier Action Plan (May 30, 2000)\wopa repon (Vel'lion 6 BND2)~.doc

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