Kansas has asked that all wells within a couple of miles of either side of the stream (about 1/3 of the wells in the Basin) be shut off in water short years. Nebraska argues that this is overkill and will give Kansas much more water than it is entitled to.

View in Google Maps

Total water used is pumping plus average precipitation.

Efficiency is based on the difference between average water use by all irrigators in the Basin and the total water used by irrigators in a particular county. Frontier County uses less total water than any other County while Nuckolls uses the most.

The County that pumps the most water per irrigated acre is Lincoln County in the Middle Republican NRD. The second highest using County is Dundy County in the Upper Republican NRD. Nuckolls pumps the least amount of water but uses more total water than any other County.

Acre Inches Pumped by County

Total Water by County

Efficiency by County

View image

View image

These are clips of the files you can see if you are a WaterClaim member. They show whose wells are affected and how much of an affect on the stream the DNR says each well has. The map is zoomable and the transparancy levels are adjustable so you can look at your farm or at the overall picture.

Contact us if you are interested in becoming a member. WaterClaim provides frequent email updates on the water situation.

Base Flow Calculations

Unfortunately, in the Republican River Basin, a decision has been made by the State to exclude one of the primary effects on the stream and not measure it. In the Republican River Basin, there are more than a million acres with two foot high dams which are designed to catch water and to slow or prevent that water from getting to the stream. To intentionally exclude this effect from the simulation creates an imbalance in the formulas. Then, to make the system balance, the missing water has to be assigned to some cause. Those making the simulation chose to say all missing water is used by groundwater irrigation, even though that is not true.

Conservation is a tool. It is like fire. Used properly, it is beneficial. But, even beneficial things have effects. Fire produces heat; and, if that is what we want, that is a good thing. But, it also consumes fuel. Which do I value more: the fuel or the heat? Conservation protects the soil, water, and air. Those are good things. But, it also slows or stops some water from getting to the stream. It produces more vegetation. That may or may not be a good thing. Saying that conservation is only good and has no effect is inaccurate. To be fair and honest, all effects should be measured. Hiding some of the options is not honest. Falsely accusing one group in order to protect another is morally wrong.

Effects of Conservation on the stream

Conservation is a tool. It is like fire. Used properly it is beneficial. But even beneficial things have effects. Fire produces heat and if that is what we want that is a good thing. But it also consumes fuel. Which do I value more, the fuel or the heat? Conservation protects the soil, water and air. Those are good things. But is also slows or stops some water from getting to the stream. It produces more vegetation. That may or may not be a good thing. Saying that conservation is only good and has no side effects is inaccurate. To be fair and honest all effects should be measured.

Rather than focus on shutting off wells, Jasper focused on what they would do if they had money. They showed some images of how they would bring water into the basin that look very similar to what WaterClaim has been advocating.

Full reports by the Imperial Republican.

Story 1

Story 2

By my estimates, it would take about $140 million dollars and take about 800 million balls to cover Harlan County Reservoir. Perhaps white balls? Could you water ski through this?

More images]]> http://www.waterclaim.org/blog/2009/09/stop_evaporation.html http://www.waterclaim.org/blog/2009/09/stop_evaporation.html Republican River Wed, 23 Sep 2009 19:10:54 -0700 CPNRD sues for access to data

Story

The NRD complains that when it attempts to access data that it receives only "evasive responses, feigned cooperation, shifting legal interpretations and flagrant stonewalling"

The preferences are augmentation plans that are very similar to what WaterClaim has been suggesting for years, surface water purchases, and land retirement programs. If there is not enough money to do these programs, then the State has asked (required) the NRDs to include what are called “red box” clauses. These would require the NRDs to agree to shut off irrigation wells close to the stream in water short years.

In a statement this morning, Heineman said he met last week with officials of the Lower, Middle and Upper Republican NRDs.

"They told me that they are working with the Department of Natural Resources to develop integrated management plans that would be in compliance with the three-state compact during water-short years," Heineman said. "The general managers of the NRDs, Mike Clements, Dan Smith and Jasper Fanning, indicated they thought they would have mutually agreeable plans by Dec. 1."

http://tinyurl.com/kueplt

Note that Government officials no longer even attempt to hide that many policy discussions have been happening in secret. It should not surprise them when many of those plans are challenged in Court because they have ignored the people they are attempting to impose the plans on object. Failure to involve people in the development of the solution is good formula to lose their support.