Nebraska Legislative Bill - LB 1023
STAR WARS 2022 Final Report Draft
STAR WARS 2022 Final Report with Appendices Draft (Due to size, this must be downloaded)
Below normal precipitation and warmer than normal temperatures will impact the Platte River
The Nebraska Department of Natural Resources (NeDNR) is working with stakeholders across the state for drought planning. NeDNR is a member of the Lower Platte River Consortium, an Eastern Nebraska group. The Consortium is encouraging the public to start now and be proactive in conserving water. Projections from the Climate Prediction Center at the National Weather Service show that warmer temperatures and below normal precipitation are expected to continue through at least May and June.
Nebraska has experienced an unusually dry fall and very mild winter, with little snow and rainfall. Current conditions in the state are dry, including lower levels of moisture in the soil. Current long-range predictions through May and June indicate above normal temperatures, and below normal precipitation for the state. Dry and warm conditions will have an impact on the amount of water in the Platte River that is available for its various needs and uses.
“The Department will continue to monitor streamflow conditions throughout the summer and will continue to work with the Consortium and share information with the public as we progress into these spring and summer months,” states Tom Riley, Director of the Department of Natural Resources. “As a member of the Consortium, the Department recognizes the need to be proactive and be ready to respond if the warm and dry conditions continue as forecasted.”
The NeDNR has launched an online dashboard available to the public that displays real-time information that the department monitors and collects throughout the state. The dashboard includes current up-to-date drought conditions, common drought indicators, and the streamflow projection for Platte River at Ashland. The data reflects the conditions throughout the Lower Platte basin and the entire state. The dashboard also provides important links to other local and national climate-related resources. NeDNR will continue to closely monitor streamflow conditions throughout the summer and update the consortium partners as conditions change.
To view the dashboard, visit the Department of Natural Resources’ site (dnr.nebraska.gov/water-planning/lower-platte-river-basin).
The Lower Platte River Consortium will continue to monitor the conditions and its entities will work with individuals and communities to conserve water as necessary.
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About the consortium
Formed in 2016, the consortium consists of six different entities (agencies) that monitor and rely on the Lower Platte River for their water supply. These agencies include:
University of Nebraska research and extension specialists created an innovative way for participants to try out new agriculture processes and technology in a real-world setting without the often-prohibitive cost and risk. The TAPS (Testing Ag Performance Solutions) program has four competitions: sprinkler, corn SDI, sorghum, and winter wheat.
The Department of Natural Resources (NeDNR) participated in the 2021 sprinkler competition and took home first place with a profitability of $795 per acre. The team consisted of Kent Zimmerman, Elizabeth Esseks, and Alexa Davis. The team was awarded $2,000, which was donated back to the TAPS program. This was Zimmerman’s third year with the program.
“The program allows producers and others to try out new technology and learn to do things differently risk free,” Zimmerman said.
With their test plot in near North Platte, the team was able to be successful with less water and nitrogen utilizing soil-monitoring technology.
“Being aware of your inputs can be both environmentally beneficial and profitable,” Davis said.
Participating in the program helps the NeDNR team members better understand the work and needs of producers, which helps them relate to stakeholders on a higher level.
The program is available to producers at no cost. For more information, visit their website at https://taps.unl.edu/
LINCOLN – The Department of Natural Resources (Department) has been working with several water management agencies in Nebraska over the past decade to use state and local funds to address water management challenges. These efforts have also sought to leverage state and local funds with available federal funding for water management and conservation. Most recently, the Lower Republican Natural Resources District (LRNRD), located in Alma, Nebraska, was awarded $2 million from the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) to install near real-time telemetry equipment on more than 1,000 irrigation flow meters to improve farm water management and reporting. These funds will also support weather stations with telemetry in eight locations across the district area to collect evapotranspiration data. This data allows growers to make sound irrigation decisions and is expected to save over 4,000 acre-feet of water annually.
The total project is expected to cost $4,360,858. The Department provided $1.2 million, and LRNRD used these state dollars in combination with local funds to successfully acquire the $2 million from Reclamation’s WaterSMART program.
The Department also recently received a $200,000 grant through Reclamation to continue the development of a Decision Support System (DSS) for the Platte River. The DSS provides real-time water availability data to Nebraska’s water managers to leverage opportunities to re-time water supplies through storage and groundwater recharge to support goals and objectives of integrated management planning efforts. The DSS web-based interface increases efficiency, transparency, and accountability while simplifying the process and reducing the regulatory burden on customers applying for excess water use.
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