Platte River Requirements
The State of Nebraska will soon decide on whether to sign a Cooperative Agreement that changes how much water is in the Platte and when the water is in the Platte. There is a great deal of confusion regarding some of the specifics of what is required.
There are two sets of requirements. One is what Nebraska must do to compensate for the new acres added since 1997. The other is what must be done to compensate for the acres added prior to 1997. The comments you hear and the numbers that are often used mix the two requirements together and it quickly gets confusing. In fact, even after several discussions with various water policy officials I am confused as to the requirements. Is it 500,000 acres, 450,000 acres, 72,000 acres. The answers vary depending on who is answering the question. Soon, I hope to be able to put names to answers so we can hopefully at least get the facts straight as we make policy decisions.
Also note, that the Cooperative Agreement calls for an increase in the stream flow each year by 450,000 acre feet. You should read the Platte River Study and keep that number in mind.