Proposal would replenish Republican River with Platte River water

An Imperial man plans to ask the Nebraska Republican River Management Districts Association to take on a new role and support what he calls part of a solution to problems created by the settlement of the Kansas-Nebraska Republican River Compact lawsuit.

At an association meeting Monday in McCook, Steve Smith of Imperial will present his proposal that the Association sponsor an approach to water shortages in the Republican River basin.

The association meeting is scheduled at 10 a.m., at the Knights of Columbus Hall in McCook.

Smith will explain the approach, proposed by an organization called WaterClaim, designed to meet the requirements of the lawsuit settlement and provide farmers and ranchers with the water supplies necessary to support their farming and ranching businesses. This, in turn, assures main street businesses of a stable agriculture sector.

Smith recommends im-porting water from the Platte River Basin to Harlan County Reservoir, whose water levels are used to measure Republican River Basin water supplies flowing into Kansas.

Smith's plan requires a well field in Phelps County, which has seen a 50- to 100-foot increase in the water table in the last 50 years.

The water would be transferred to the reservoir via a 30-mile natural waterway.

Smith estimates the plan at $6 million a year for 20 years, to be paid by Natural Resources Districts, the State of Nebraska, the Bureau of Reclamation and the federal government.

Smith said the imported water would be more than enough to allow all current water uses to continue.

"It is still prudent to implement water plans and habitat management plans that manage the water and do not allow growth in water use that cannot be satisfied by this solution," Smith's proposal states.

It continues: " ... a stable water supply will increase land values and increase the number of visitors to the area for recreation, as shown by a Bureau of Reclamation study.

A stable water supply will allow businesses that cater to the recreational and agricultural sectors to invest in and add more jobs to an area that is in great need."