Good News for Big Mac

Chen rossii · 11-05-2009, 12:53 PM

News Release from
The Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District

Date: Nov. 2, 2009
Contact: Tim Anderson, Public Relations Manager
Phone: (308) 995-8601

November 2009 Board Meeting Summary

(HOLDREGE, Neb.) -- For the first time in years, The Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District's board of directors heard somewhat optimistic projections for the water supply at Lake McConaughy over the coming year.
Cory Steinke, civil engineer in Central's Holdrege headquarters, told the directors at Monday's monthly board meeting that preliminary projections for inflows at Lake McConaughy are the highest since 2001, although they are still below the historic median of 913,000 acre-feet.
Steinke is projecting inflows of about 840,000 acre-feet during the water year, which runs from Oct. 1 to next Sept. 30, and a peak water level next spring near elevation 3,250 feet above mean sea level (1.35 million acre-feet of water). The last time the lake exceeded elevation 3,250 feet was in 2000.
"These projections might be too optimistic," he said, "but that's where the signs are pointing."
Flows in the South Platte River, which have been consistent this fall and will likely receive a boost from recent snowfall in Colorado, are the "wildcard" in the equation, Steinke said. His projections for South Platte flows are lower than the historic average, but much higher than they have been in recent years.
"If the South Platte continues to carry flows near what we've seen recently -- and indications are that there's a good chance of that happening -- we can store all North Platte River flows in Lake McConaughy for most of the winter," he said. He added that current storage conditions at several off-stream reservoirs along the South Platte River in Colorado are a promising indication for continued flows into Nebraska.
Central must meet diversion requirements at the North Platte Diversion Dam that provide for certain flow levels in the Platte River during the winter months, a provision in its Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) license. However, South Platte flows and gains to North Platte River between Lake McConaughy and the diversion dam have been high enough so far to meet the requirements without releases from Lake McConaughy.
There have been no releases from McConaughy for several weeks while Central undertakes a maintenance project at the Kingsley Hydroplant and a channel excavation project in Lake Ogallala below Kingsley Dam. In addition, the Nebraska Public Power District has been working on the headgates of the Keystone Canal, which begins at the east end of Lake Ogallala. The channel-excavation project required that releases from Lake McConaughy be halted for a period of time.
The lake has risen about five feet since the end of irrigation season to an elevation of 3,233.4 feet as of Monday.
Steinke added that there is the possibility of additional water for Lake McConaughy next spring if the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's North Platte River reservoirs in Wyoming are nearing capacity. However, some long-term weather forecasts are calling for warmer and drier conditions in the Rocky Mountains this winter, which would result in reduced snowmelt runoff into the reservoirs.
If South Platte flows fall off and higher North Platte River inflows not materialize next spring, Steinke said, Lake McConaughy would likely peak somewhere near elevation 3,238.0, a volume of about 1.04 million acre-feet.
Also at Monday's meeting:
• The board approved revisions to the District's purchasing procedures, increasing the purchase amounts for budgeted items that can be approved by District managers and raising the requirement under which Central seeks formal bids for construction, maintenance and repair projects.
• Mike Drain, natural resources manager, informed the board that he hopes to have the a final draft of Central's Land and Shoreline Management Plan ready to submit to the FERC by the end of November. Consultations have been held with stakeholders and federal and state agencies and work is under way to finalize the document.

Semper Paratus · 11-06-2009, 11:20 AM

I'm a little surprised this great news hasn't received any responses in addition the the thanks (I'm not sure the "thanks" bump the thread -- so here is a response to do so). In a longer article that I saw on the same topic they also indicated that they will be discussing/considering increasing next year's water delivery from 15" to 18" if the good news/projections prove out. That could mean one more run of irrigation for Nebraska's farmers late in the season when it can really bump yields AND awesome news for Nebraska's anglers as it would mean Elwood Reservoir would be put back on line with gravity flows and pumping to use it for storage for the additional water allocation.

I won't say this thread needs a sticky but it has such an important topic that I hope it gets a few more updates/comments from time to time so it stays on the first couple of pages as a developing and on-going story/topic.

If I'm not mistaken Daryl B. is a lakes and reservoirs fisheries guy and Scott E. is on site at Big Mac so we do have experts here that can keep us informed.

Scott Eveland · 11-06-2009, 02:30 PM

CNPPID's board voted several months ago to deliver a 15" irrigation run in 2010, even before the projected good news. I hadn't heard anything about an increase to 18" and I'm surprised that wasn't in CNPPID's official news release. I just hope a 15-18" delivery doesn't erase all of this winter's projected gains.

Elwood will be a part of that "almost-full" delivery, so Elwood should see a lot more water next spring.

Colorado and Wyoming are both off to good starts with snow fall, but it is entirely too early to be dancing in the streets just yet.

Semper Paratus · 11-06-2009, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scott Eveland

CNPPID's board voted several months ago to deliver a 15" irrigation run in 2010, even before the projected good news. I hadn't heard anything about an increase to 18" and I'm surprised that wasn't in CNPPID's official news release. I just hope a 15-18" delivery doesn't erase all of this winter's projected gains.

Elwood will be a part of that "almost-full" delivery, so Elwood should see a lot more water next spring.

Colorado and Wyoming are both off to good starts with snow fall, but it is entirely too early to be dancing in the streets just yet.

The article I saw, w/ pertinent excerpt quoted:

... "CNPPID General Manager Don Kraus said the idea of going to a full delivery of 18 inches per acre in 2010 likely will be on the agenda for the board's Dec. 7 meeting. CNPPID Natural Resources Manager Mike Drain said the issue isn't so much the volume of irrigation water involved, but that the 18-inch level allows for one more late-summer water delivery to crops that hasn't been possible with allocations.
Another plus in the proposed operating plan is to have normal operations at Elwood Reservoir for the first time in six years. That will mean putting gravity flows into the lake in February and operating pumps in March to fill it." ...

If projections hold true, McConaughy could reach three-fourths full

On edit: Wow say their names and they appear! :>) This by pm from Daryl:

"They started putting water in Elwood this fall, and they plan to fill it and use it for water deliveries next year.

Yes, the water situation is looking up, and it is about time!

However, we have very serious water issues in this state. Everybody forgets about that when we have a wet cycle, but the crunch will be on once we hit the next dry spell.

Daryl Bauer
Fisheries Outreach Program Manager
Nebraska Game & Parks Commission
daryl.bauer@nebraska.gov
Barbs and Backlashes

P.S. Feel free to share this message with others if you wish."

Also that shows me that I wasn't correct about Daryl being the "lakes and reservoirs fisheries guy" but you have to assume more "Fisheries Outreach" occurs in and around lakes and reservoirs than say pastures and timber, so partial credit?

bassinoutwest · 11-06-2009, 05:18 PM

Quote:

Yes, the water situation is looking up, and it is about time!

However, we have very serious water issues in this state. Everybody forgets about that when we have a wet cycle, but the crunch will be on once we hit the next dry spell.

Daryl Bauer
Fisheries Outreach Program Manager
Nebraska Game & Parks Commission
daryl.bauer@nebraska.gov
Barbs and Backlashes

these wet cycles never do seem to last as long as the dry cycles...

Scott Eveland · 11-06-2009, 05:48 PM

Interesting, the lake is still just over 1/2 full (or almost 1/2 empty) and they're talking about irrigating next year like everything is back to normal...?

CNPPID Reservoir Elevations & Platte River Flow Data

I thought inflows, while improved over what there has been the past 10 years, were still well below normal?

http://www.cnppid.com/Assets/McConau...ows_MedAvg.jpg

11-05-2009, 12:53 PM	#1 (permalink)
Chen rossii Chen rossii is hoping for ice. Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Platte River Posts: 461 Thanks: 18 Thanked 70 Times in 36 Posts	Good News for Big Mac News Release from The Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District Date: Nov. 2, 2009 Contact: Tim Anderson, Public Relations Manager Phone: (308) 995-8601 November 2009 Board Meeting Summary (HOLDREGE, Neb.) -- For the first time in years, The Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District's board of directors heard somewhat optimistic projections for the water supply at Lake McConaughy over the coming year. Cory Steinke, civil engineer in Central's Holdrege headquarters, told the directors at Monday's monthly board meeting that preliminary projections for inflows at Lake McConaughy are the highest since 2001, although they are still below the historic median of 913,000 acre-feet. Steinke is projecting inflows of about 840,000 acre-feet during the water year, which runs from Oct. 1 to next Sept. 30, and a peak water level next spring near elevation 3,250 feet above mean sea level (1.35 million acre-feet of water). The last time the lake exceeded elevation 3,250 feet was in 2000. "These projections might be too optimistic," he said, "but that's where the signs are pointing." Flows in the South Platte River, which have been consistent this fall and will likely receive a boost from recent snowfall in Colorado, are the "wildcard" in the equation, Steinke said. His projections for South Platte flows are lower than the historic average, but much higher than they have been in recent years. "If the South Platte continues to carry flows near what we've seen recently -- and indications are that there's a good chance of that happening -- we can store all North Platte River flows in Lake McConaughy for most of the winter," he said. He added that current storage conditions at several off-stream reservoirs along the South Platte River in Colorado are a promising indication for continued flows into Nebraska. Central must meet diversion requirements at the North Platte Diversion Dam that provide for certain flow levels in the Platte River during the winter months, a provision in its Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) license. However, South Platte flows and gains to North Platte River between Lake McConaughy and the diversion dam have been high enough so far to meet the requirements without releases from Lake McConaughy. There have been no releases from McConaughy for several weeks while Central undertakes a maintenance project at the Kingsley Hydroplant and a channel excavation project in Lake Ogallala below Kingsley Dam. In addition, the Nebraska Public Power District has been working on the headgates of the Keystone Canal, which begins at the east end of Lake Ogallala. The channel-excavation project required that releases from Lake McConaughy be halted for a period of time. The lake has risen about five feet since the end of irrigation season to an elevation of 3,233.4 feet as of Monday. Steinke added that there is the possibility of additional water for Lake McConaughy next spring if the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's North Platte River reservoirs in Wyoming are nearing capacity. However, some long-term weather forecasts are calling for warmer and drier conditions in the Rocky Mountains this winter, which would result in reduced snowmelt runoff into the reservoirs. If South Platte flows fall off and higher North Platte River inflows not materialize next spring, Steinke said, Lake McConaughy would likely peak somewhere near elevation 3,238.0, a volume of about 1.04 million acre-feet. Also at Monday's meeting: • The board approved revisions to the District's purchasing procedures, increasing the purchase amounts for budgeted items that can be approved by District managers and raising the requirement under which Central seeks formal bids for construction, maintenance and repair projects. • Mike Drain, natural resources manager, informed the board that he hopes to have the a final draft of Central's Land and Shoreline Management Plan ready to submit to the FERC by the end of November. Consultations have been held with stakeholders and federal and state agencies and work is under way to finalize the document. __________________ "Chip, I'm going to come at you like a spider monkey."

11-06-2009, 11:20 AM	#2 (permalink)
Semper Paratus Semper Paratus has no status. Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 84 Thanks: 7 Thanked 15 Times in 7 Posts	I'm a little surprised this great news hasn't received any responses in addition the the thanks (I'm not sure the "thanks" bump the thread -- so here is a response to do so). In a longer article that I saw on the same topic they also indicated that they will be discussing/considering increasing next year's water delivery from 15" to 18" if the good news/projections prove out. That could mean one more run of irrigation for Nebraska's farmers late in the season when it can really bump yields AND awesome news for Nebraska's anglers as it would mean Elwood Reservoir would be put back on line with gravity flows and pumping to use it for storage for the additional water allocation. I won't say this thread needs a sticky but it has such an important topic that I hope it gets a few more updates/comments from time to time so it stays on the first couple of pages as a developing and on-going story/topic. If I'm not mistaken Daryl B. is a lakes and reservoirs fisheries guy and Scott E. is on site at Big Mac so we do have experts here that can keep us informed. __________________ Last edited by Semper Paratus; 11-06-2009 at 11:23 AM..

11-06-2009, 02:30 PM	#3 (permalink)
Scott Eveland Scott Eveland is exciting about the rising water! Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: The Water, The West, The Best Volunteer Hunter Education Instructor Certified Boating Instructor Posts: 1,280 Thanks: 168 Thanked 445 Times in 193 Posts	CNPPID's board voted several months ago to deliver a 15" irrigation run in 2010, even before the projected good news. I hadn't heard anything about an increase to 18" and I'm surprised that wasn't in CNPPID's official news release. I just hope a 15-18" delivery doesn't erase all of this winter's projected gains. Elwood will be a part of that "almost-full" delivery, so Elwood should see a lot more water next spring. Colorado and Wyoming are both off to good starts with snow fall, but it is entirely too early to be dancing in the streets just yet. __________________

11-06-2009, 05:48 PM	#6 (permalink)
Scott Eveland Scott Eveland is exciting about the rising water! Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: The Water, The West, The Best Volunteer Hunter Education Instructor Certified Boating Instructor Posts: 1,280 Thanks: 168 Thanked 445 Times in 193 Posts	Interesting, the lake is still just over 1/2 full (or almost 1/2 empty) and they're talking about irrigating next year like everything is back to normal...? CNPPID Reservoir Elevations & Platte River Flow Data I thought inflows, while improved over what there has been the past 10 years, were still well below normal? http://www.cnppid.com/Assets/McConau...ows_MedAvg.jpg __________________

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