(Lincoln, Neb.) The Lower Platte River Basin Coalition, which includes all seven of Nebraska’s local
Natural Resources Districts (NRDs) in the Lower Platte Basin, and the Nebraska Department of Natural
Resources (DNR) are developing a plan to ensure the protection of existing water users in the basin, and
studying methods for meeting additional and future water needs to serve domestic, industrial and
agricultural purposes.
Butch Koehlmoos, General Manager Lower Loup NRD, said, “We’re pleased to continue a strong
proactive and voluntary partnership working for the best water management practices in the nation.
Nebraska’s successful locally-driven water management is a strong asset to our water users and the Lower
Platte River Basin Coalition is another example of Nebraskans coming together to protect water users for
domestic, industrial and agricultural purposes.”
The Lower Platte River Basin Coalition is enhancing current efforts to further understand and inventory
the water supply that begins in Nebraska’s water rich sandhills and ends at the confluence of the Missouri
River, covering more than 25,000 square miles, or nearly one-third of Nebraska, and providing water for
irrigation, industrial purposes and drinking water for more than half of Nebraska’s residents.
The Lower Platte River Basin Coalition is a proactive voluntary effort, which includes seven NRDs in the
Loup, Elkhorn, and Lower Platte river basins, as well as the DNR. While each NRD manages water
resources on a local level, ultimately what occurs in the sandhills of the upper portion of the Lower Platte
Basin impacts what occurs near Lincoln and Omaha’s water supply in the lower portion of the basin, and
likewise, changes in demands in the lower part of the basin can impact the upper portion of the basin.
This effort brings together ground and surface water managers in the basin to study impacts and
opportunities on a basin-wide level, ensuring local boards are working together with the state to compile
resources and provide every opportunity to achieve and optimize water sustainability.
To date, the Coalition’s efforts to inventory the supplies and demands in the basin show a significant
surplus of water supply exists in the basin on an average annual basis, with large quantities of excess
water not being utilized and flowing out of the state. This is also portrayed in the Department’s INSIGHT
tool; a new method of evaluating supplies and demands in a basin. Unfortunately, much of that surplus
currently occurs when demands for the excess water don’t exist, but to water managers in the basin, this
average excess supply represents a huge opportunity. The challenge before water resource managers is
storing and releasing some of these quantities of excess water during times of drought conditions when
demands exceed supplies.
Glenn Johnson, General Manager Lower Platte South NRD, said, “The excess flows highlight the overall
positive balance in the basin and the fact that with collaborative basin wide planning, potential
opportunities in the basin far out-weight the challenges.”
As the coalition works to better define this balance, they will look for ways to economically manage for
conditions that exist the vast majority of the time, while subsequently ensuring plans are in place for the
infrequent extreme drought periods when there’s a risk of Platte River supplies falling below demands.
The Coalition will continue to study and develop a basin plan that will work to utilize projects that will
optimize the opportunities by capturing excess flows and finding ways to store and retime the water.
Mike Sousek, General Manager Lower Elkhorn NRD, said, “This method of planning for the normal
conditions, but managing for the infrequent challenges during extreme drought will allow for protection
of all existing uses, and in areas allow for the expansion of uses, providing continued economic benefit to
the region, and maximizing the overall benefit for the state of Nebraska and all of its residents.”
For additional information, please visit: http://dnr.nebraska.gov/LPRBC
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The Nebraska Association of Resources Districts (NARD), the trade association for Nebraska’s 23 natural
resources districts, works with individual NRDs to protect lives, protect property, and protect the future of
Nebraska’s natural resources. These districts are unique to Nebraska. NRD’s are local government entities
with broad responsibilities to protect our natural resources. Major Nebraska river basins form the
boundaries of the 23 NRDs, enabling districts to respond best to local conservation and resource
management needs. To learn more about Nebraska’s NRDs visit www.nrdnet.org. Or you can head to the
Natural Resources Districts’ Facebook page at www.facebook.com or follow NARD’s Twitter page at
www.twitter.com @nebnrd. NARD is located at 601 S. 12th St. Suite 201, Lincoln, Nebraska 68508.
Email NARD at [email protected] or call NARD at (402) 471-7670.