May 28, 2002
Summer Water Tour Examines North Platte River Issues
LINCOLN, Neb. — The University of Nebraska/Kearney Area Chamber of Commerce Summer Water and Natural Resources Tour takes a four-day look at drought conditions in the North Platte River watershed from headwaters in Colorado to Lake McConaughy this July.
The tour leaves Kearney's Ramada Inn Motel Monday, July 22, and returns there Thursday, July 25.
"Nebraska, Wyoming and Colorado are highly dependent on irrigation water and hydropower generated in the North Platte River watershed, and with the current drought conditions in those areas the tour should be very timely and enlightening," said tour co-organizer Michael Jess, acting director of the UNL Water Center.
In addition to current drought conditions in the watershed, tour stops and speakers will address North Platte River water use, interstate compacts and the recent settlement of litigation between Nebraska and Wyoming, irrigation development, and history.
On July 22 Sharon Whitmore of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will discuss how water releases from Lake McConaughy are used to augment fish and wildlife habitat requirements in Nebraska and members of the Sidney Chamber of Commerce will address irrigation, agribusiness and farming concerns in the area. The first night's stop is in Fort Collins, Colo.
On July 23 buses pass over the Continental Divide and through Cameron Pass en route to North Platte River headwaters at Walden, Colo., and from there north to Wyoming. John Lawson and Ken Randolph of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation will discuss irrigation and hydroelectric issues at Seminoe Dam, the first of a series of North Platte River reservoirs the tour will visit in Wyoming.
Before overnighting in Casper, Wyo., tour participants also will view Pathfinder, Alcova and Gray Reef dams.
As buses head toward Nebraska the following day, Glendo and Guernsey dams will be viewed, including hydro-electric operations at Guernsey and Glendo.
At the Wyoming-Nebraska border buses will stop at the Mitchell-Gering diversion dam to discuss allocation of stream flows among irrigators in Nebraska and Wyoming.
From there the tour will visit subsurface drip irrigation research projects at NU’s Panhandle Research and Extension Center research plots near Mitchell. Overnight will be at Scottsbluff.
On the final day, local irrigators will discuss conjunctive water use tensions in the Pumpkin Creek valley in Banner and Morrill Counties.
After a stop at the new visitors center at Lake McConaughy and discussion of UNL dissolved oxygen research at Lake Ogallala, tour buses return to Kearney.
Tour cost is $450 single occupancy or $400 double occupancy. Registration includes all food, motel, and motorcoach expenses. Registration is through the Kearney Area Chamber of Commerce at (800)652-9435. Registration deadline is July 5.
Other sponsors are Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District; Nebraska Public Power District; Nebraska Association of Resource Districts; Gateway Farm Show; Nebraska Water Conference Council and NU’s Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Conservation and Survey Division, Water Center and Panhandle Research and Extension Center.
05/28/02-SR
J. Michael Jess
UNL Water Center
Acting Director
(402) 472-7570
Steve Ress UNL Water Center - Communications Coordinator (402) 472-3305
Department: NU Water Center
|
