Monday,
May 7, 2007
House Passes Republican River
Bill; Authorizes Federal Study of Supply, Storage and Management
Source: US Congressman Adrian Smith
In order to determine the feasibility, the Secretary will consider the following:
* Improving water supply reliability in the Republican River Basin between Harlan County Lake in Nebraska and Milford Lake in Kansas, including areas in the counties of Harlan, Franklin, Webster, and Nuckolls in Nebraska and Jewel, Republic, Cloud, Washington, and Clay in Kansas;
* Increasing the capacity of water storage through modifications of existing projects or through new projects that serve areas in the Republican River Basin;
* Improving water management efficiency in the Republican River Basin through conservation as well as evaluate integrated water resource management and supply needs in the Republican River Basin.
"The Lower Republican River Basin study will examine how to better utilize opportunities to increase water storage in the river basin. I'm hopeful the results of this study will lead to an increase in water availability while we continue to encourage more efficient water use.
"The current water shortage has made this a critical issue for my congressional district. If we can, through this study, allocate water more effectively, it will help farmers, ranchers, and municipalities both in Nebraska and Kansas in the long term," Smith said.
In 1998, the State of Kansas filed litigation against the States of Nebraska and Colorado due to the fact that required amounts of water were not reaching Kansas under the Republican River Compact terms. In 2003 the Republican River Compact Settlement brought litigation to an end. The Lower Republican River Basin Study Act enacts into law one of the requirements of the settlement.
Contact:
Charles Isom 202-225-6435