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Nebraska sues neighboring Colorado over how much water it’s drawing from the South Platte River
NEBRASKA, JUL 16 – Nebraska alleges Colorado has withheld up to 1.3 million acre-feet of water, prompting a Supreme Court case to enforce a 1923 compact and enable a $600 million canal project.
- On Wednesday, Nebraska’s governor and attorney general revealed that the state has filed a lawsuit with the U.S. Supreme Court against Colorado concerning water rights to the South Platte River and the Perkins County Canal initiative.
- The lawsuit arose from decades of dispute under a 1923 compact granting Nebraska water access, accusing Colorado of withholding water and blocking Nebraska’s canal construction despite professional negotiations reaching an impasse.
- Nebraska claims Colorado has supplied about 75 cubic feet per second during irrigation season when entitled to 120, and alleges being deprived of up to 1.3 million acre-feet of water over time.
- Hilgers described the lawsuit as the most significant legal challenge his office will face in his lifetime, while Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser expressed regret over the dispute and criticized Nebraska for walking away from negotiations.
- The canal project will proceed amid years of expected litigation, as Nebraska seeks to secure water vital to agriculture and population growth amid climate factors like decreased snowpack and earlier melt.
48 Articles
48 Articles
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Nebraska sues Colorado over river water rights, proposed canal construction
Nebraska officials on Wednesday announced a lawsuit against Colorado, alleging the Centennial State is allowing “unlawful water diversions” from a transboundary resource. Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen (R) and state Attorney General Mike Hilgers (R) accused Colorado of threatening Nebraska’s water supply along the South Platte River in multiple ways. The lawsuit alleges Colorado has “deprived” Nebraskans of their…
Nebraska sues Colorado over how much water it’s drawing from South Platte River
Nebraska is suing Colorado over the amount of water it draws from the South Platte River, the latest in a long history of water rights disputes between the states that have been left increasingly dry by climate change.
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