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<br />Niobrara River Basin. This Basin has large amounts of land suitable <br />for irrigation with a sma I I amount already developed. Relatively large <br />blocks of suitable land are avai lable in Box Butte, Dawes, Sheridan, and <br />Holt Counties. Other suitable lands are in smal I tracts scattered <br />throughout the Basin. Privately instal led wel Is provide the greatest <br />opportunity for increasing the irrigated acreage. The Alliance and <br />O'Nei I I areas have declining water tables under present pump irrigation <br />development. <br /> <br />Missouri Tributaries River Basin. The present irrigated acreage <br />is smal I. This is partly due to normally adequate rainfal I during the <br />growing season. In addition, there is only a limited amount of highly <br />suitable land. Most of this is in the Missouri River Val ley where the <br />best opportunity for irrigation development exists. There are large <br />blocks of moderately suitable soils in Knox, Cedar, and Dixon Counties, <br />but ground water supplies are limited. Development in this area would <br />depend upon locating a suitable surface water source. <br /> <br />North Platte River Basin. Intensive irrigation development in the <br />North Platte River Valley makes ful I use of the avai lable surface water <br />supplies. The remaining available lands of the better suitabi lity types <br />are widely scattered. The opportunity for more project-type Irrigation <br />development is slight. There is a limited potential for irrigation <br />development with privately installed wel Is in the Pumpkin Creek Val ley. <br /> <br />South Platte River Basin. Present irrigation development is low. <br />There are large blocks of high suitabi lity lands in Cheyenne, Deuel, <br />and Keith Counties, but these have a limited potential for irrigation <br />development because of lack of avai lable ground or surface water. Normal <br />summer surface water flows on Lodgepole Creek and the South Platte River <br />are overappropriated. <br /> <br />Middle Platte River Basin. This Basin has the largest acreage of <br />land under irrigation. Most of it Is on high quality (Type A) soils. <br />Ground water is used for much of the acreage although surface supplies <br />are delivered to wel lover 200,000 acres in the Platte Val ley between <br />North Platte and Kearney and tablelands in Gosper, Phelps, and Kearney <br />Counties. Some lands have access to both surface and ground water supplies. <br />Ground water is the principal source In the Platte Val ley below Kearney <br />and in the Wood River Val ley. Most of the land remaining avai lable for <br />irrigation development is in small tracts interspersed among or border- <br />ing presently irrigated areas. A strip of land along the northern <br />side of the Platte Val ley in Buffalo and Hal I Counties does not have an <br />adequate supply of ground water. It borders a larger area that has <br />experienced a decline in the water table. <br /> <br />Loup River Basin. Most of the land classified as suitable for irriga- <br />tion is In the southern and eastern parts of the Basin. It is located in <br />narrow valleys and on ridges. Almost 20 percent of the suitable land, <br />mostly in the valleys, is now being irrigated. The land remaining avai 1- <br />able for development is on the uplands. Also, numerous small tracts of <br />land throughout the Sandhi I Is area are available for irrigation development <br />by privately instal led wells. <br /> <br />45 <br />