Irrigators get 1/2 allocation in 2014

Post date: Sep 04, 2013 7:43:5 PM

CNPPID irrigators allocated 9 inches per acre for 2014

By LORI POTTER Hub Staff Writer | Posted: Wednesday, September 4, 2013 1:15 pm http://www.kearneyhub.com

HOLDREGE — Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District irrigators will be limited to 9 inches of surface water per acre during the 2014 growing season, the district’s board of directors decided Tuesday. Lake McConaughy is at 45 percent of full, at 788,000 acre-feet, and CNPPID civil engineer Cory Steinke said it could drop to 750,000 to 760,000 a-f by the end of irrigation season. The directors decided to return to a conservation mode that has become the norm for the past decade.

This year, the allocation was 10 inches. A full water delivery is up to 18 inches per acre, with a 9-inch base followed by incremental pricing for additional water. Annual allocations during the multi-year drought to start the 21st century had been 6.7 or 8.4 inches per acre for the 108,000 irrigated acres within the Central district. Steinke said the water-savings plan for 2014 is to not use Elwood Reservoir to store irrigation water. The 9 inches provided will be delivered to farmers over 12 weeks for corn and eight weeks for soybeans, according to the board’s resolution.

“We’re not getting the restoration of return flows (into the lake) we’d like to see,” said CNPPID General Manager Don Kraus.

Steinke said inflows are at 313 cubic feet per second, or 27 percent of the historical average, while 1,850 cfs is being released from Lake McConaughy.

In a related matter discussed partly in closed session, the board approved an extension from Sept. 4 to Dec. 31 of the deadline for Platte River Recovery Implementation Program officials to reply to a Central offer to release 10,000 a-f of Lake McConaughy water downstream. The offer is required

under terms of a lawsuit settlement years ago related to CNPPID’s efforts to renew its hydro operating license with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Kraus said the PRRIP staff hadn’t yet discussed the offer extensively with the program’s Governance Committee, partly because the focus has been on developing a project to build two shallow waterretiming reservoirs downstream from the J-2 hydropower plant.

“I don’t think this district has any business considering selling water,” said CNPPID Director Goeff Bogle of Elwood in arguing against the offer extension. “.... A little ding here and a little ding there and we’re talking real water.” “I don’t want to see us extend this and get in a jam sometime,” said Director William Knoerzer of Elwood. However, Director Robert Garrett of Minden made a motion to extend the deadline because it was

recommended by the CNPPID staff. The motion passed 8-2, with two absent.

Also related to the J-2 reservoirs, Kraus reported that CNPPID received a notice Friday to proceed from the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources and the Nebraska Community Foundation, which is holding federal Platte Program funds for the project. Kraus said negotiations have begun with an engineering firm for project design and construction management. Under a 50-year agreement, Central will own and operate the $75 million project, paying the first 5 percent, up to $2.5 million, for construction. Of the balance, the Platte Program will pay 75 percent and state interests, including the Tri-Basin, Central Platte and Twin Platte natural resources districts, will pay 25 percent.

Central’s main benefit will be the ability to more efficiently run hydropower plants. Platte River streamflow credits achieved by retiming returns of water already in the CNPPID system will be allocated by the same proportions as the costs. The project is expected to involve about 1,000 acres of land in northwest Phelps and northeast Gosper counties, downstream of the J-2 Hydro, and between the Phelps Canal and Platte River.

In other business Tuesday, the board:

- Was updated by Gothenburg Division Manager Kevin Boyd on a gate refurbishing project on Central’s diversion dam, and an expansion and renovation project at the Gothenburg office. The board

approved moving its Oct. 7 meeting at the Gothenburg office.

- Approved final payments on a $722,321 contract for 12 circuit breakers and $103,958 contract for a dump truck cab and chassis, with a rear dump body.

- Approved a $50,490 contract with Waukesha Electrical Systems in Wisconsin to repair Kingsley Dam transformers.