Platte water to fill Elwood Reservoir

Post date: Feb 11, 2010 9:36:23 PM

By LORI POTTER Hub Staff Writer, Thursday, Feb. 11, 2010; Kearney Hub on line at http://www.kearneyhub.com

HOLDREGE — Platte River water will start gravity flowing into Elwood Reservoir Monday, and Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District officials plan to have it nearly full by June 1.

CNPPID Irrigation Division Manager Dave Ford told the Tri-Basin Natural Resources District directors Tuesday that pumps likely will be turned on March 1 to finish filling the reservoir.

Tri-Basin officials’ primary interest is that a full lake produces more groundwater recharge benefits for the Republican and Platte basins.

Central irrigators will see a full water supply — base of 15 inches per acre and limit of 18 inches — and full-length irrigation season in 2010 for the first time in six years. It’s also the first time in years that Elwood Reservoir has been needed for irrigation water deliveries.

Ford said the reservoir probably will go down 34 feet to 35 feet over the summer, but it has been much lower in recent years to the point of requiring additional riprap to protect the face of the dam.

The CNPPID irrigation delivery schedule runs from June 8-Aug. 31.

Ford reminded the Tri-Basin directors that Monday’s annual Central Water Users meeting at the Super 8 in Holdrege will start with a noon lunch and include presentations by state Sen. Tom Carlson of Holdrege, CNPPID General Manager Don Kraus and Civil Engineer Cory Steinke, and a CWU business meeting.

Meanwhile, he said Lake McConaughy now holds 1.1 million acre-feet of water, which is 63 percent of full and 300,000 a-f more than at this time last year. The lake also is 14½ feet higher.

Ford also reported that a seepage concern at the Johnson Lake dam continues to be monitored, but it’s still believed to be the result of melting from a mile-long snowdrift, not a leak. “The ground is saturated and it just won’t take any more (water),” he said.