Upper Platte River Drought Contingency Plan - Drought Task Force Meeting #2

 

The Platte Basin Coalition and the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources (NeDNR) are working to develop an Upper Platte Basin Drought Contingency Plan. The goal of the Upper Platte River Drought Contingency Plan is to refine the collective understanding of drought vulnerabilities and improve critical water supply needs of the area during drought through robust monitoring and forecasting tools paired with timely triggers, new mitigation strategies, and responsive actions. As part of the plan development process, the Platte Basin Coalition and NeDNR have convened a Drought Task Force consisting of stakeholders from within the Upper Platte River Basin. 

 

The Drought Task Force held its kick-off meeting on July 21, 2022. Attendees began discussions on the drought vulnerability in different sectors and the potential severity of different drought impacts. The task force also began identifying existing and potential mitigation actions that could lessen the impact of drought. A summary of the first meeting’s activities can be found here: 

The next Drought Task Force Meeting will be held at Mid-Plains Community College – Ogallala Campus (512 E B St S, Ogallala, NE 69153) on Wednesday March 29, from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm Mountain Time. This meeting will include further investigation of drought vulnerabilities and impacts, establishment of monitoring protocols, and refinement of mitigation actions. The basic agenda for the meeting is listed below:

A detailed agenda and any meeting materials will be posted here:

If you are interested in attending the upcoming Drought Task Force meeting, please RSVP to Julie Molacek (Julie.Molacek@hdrinc.com) by end of day on Thursday, March 23. If there is another person from your organization that you feel should be included in the Drought Task Force, please reach out to Ryan Kelly with NeDNR (Ryan.Kelly@Nebraska.gov; 402-471-1080).

 

This meeting will be the first of three Drought Task Force meetings this year. Future meetings will involve working to refine potential mitigation and action items and ultimately reviewing and providing input on the final Upper Platte River Drought Contingency Plan.