This just was reported in the Denver Post today here (Post gives a limited number of free article views per month). The headline reads, “Nebraska announces $500M plan to claim water from Colorado”
The compact, approved in 1923, is a water-sharing agreement between the states that entitles Nebraska to 120 cubic feet per second (897.6 gallons) from the river during the irrigation season between April 1 and Oct. 15, and 500 cubic feet per second (3,740 gallons) during the non-irrigation season.
Under the compact, Nebraska can build, maintain and operate canals within Colorado’s borders that divert water from the South Platte River for use by Nebraska. It also gives Nebraska the power to buy land from Colorado landowners or gain access by invoking eminent domain. Nebraska’s move is likely to trigger lawsuits between the states.
With the increasing issues with the availability of water to the Front Range of Colorado from the Colorado River, Colorado has been increasing its plans to use water from the South Platte River. Nebraska had started a canal to move water from the state back in the early 1900s but abandoned the project at that time. The State of Nebraska has access to the High Plain Aquifer (or Ogallala Aquifer). This has been a major source of irrigation for agriculture and is declining. From the USGS, High Plains Aquifer Groundwater Levels Continue to Decline report in 2017 (here):
“Change in storage for the 2013 to 2015 comparison period was a decline of 10.7 million acre-feet, which is about 30 percent of the change in recoverable water in storage calculated for the 2011 to 2013 comparison period,” said Virginia McGuire, USGS scientist and lead author of the study. “The smaller decline for the 2013 to 2015 comparison period is likely related to reduced groundwater pumping.”
Water in the west is becoming an increasing problem due to climate change and will become a bigger problem as compacts created in times of relatively abundant water supplies hit the reality of increasing drought and place human water needs in conflict with agricultural needs (especially cattle farming). This pressure is not going away.
Tuesday, Jan 11, 2022 · 11:48:28 PM +00:00
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tjlord
Since the feedback was running on, thought I would add the following facts:
Colorado uses 559 million gallons per day of water for residential use; Nebraska uses 174 million (www.neefusa.org/...)
Nebraska has the greatest amount of irrigated acreage in the US — 14.8% of all irrigated land in the US is in Nebraska, California is second. Together they comprise over 25% of all irrigated lands in the US. They are both ends of the tussle over water from the Colorado Rockies. Nebraska uses 6.09 Billion gallons per day of water for irrigation while Colorado uses 8.999 Billion gallons (waterdata.usgs.gov/...)
So this fight is mostly between the farmers and ranchers in each state.
Wednesday, Jan 12, 2022 · 1:44:27 AM +00:00
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tjlord
There is very good additional information from CanyonD below that changes the analysis of the potential impacts based on a more complete reading of the Colorado-Nebraska compact. It turns this into a “dog chases car and tries to bite it” story. Still indicative of the western US water issues but explains the Colorado impacts are likely to be minimal.