Gov. Pete Ricketts on Monday celebrated legislative enactment of proposed water infrastructure projects designed to secure Nebraska's contractual rights to a continuing supply of South Platte River water flowing into the state from Colorado and launching proposed development of a 4,000-acre lake between Lincoln and Omaha.
With the governor's signature ceremoniously applied to bills approved by the Legislature, the state set sail on a $700 million commitment to protect future water supply and develop water projects in the state.
"Water is our most important natural resource after our people," Ricketts said.
The South Platte River and reservoir system proposed in LB1015 will allow Nebraska to claim water rights already contained in a century-old compact between Colorado and Nebraska, the governor said. Its cost was estimated at $500 million.
The other water projects are contained in LB1023, the Jobs and Economic Development Initiative (JEDI), which grew out of a study by the Legislature's Statewide Tourism and Recreational Water Access and Resource Sustainability (STARWARS) Committee chaired by Speaker Mike Hilgers of Lincoln.
During a news conference at which Ricketts signed both bills, Hilgers said it may be two or three years before the proposed new lake could begin to be built.
The project must first be submitted to hydrology studies to assure that it would not interfere with the future water supply of Lincoln and Omaha, required environmental studies and the need to determine whether it would attract sufficient private investment to assure accompanying development, Hilgers said.
The lake is potentially viewed as a billion-dollar development.
Ricketts estimated that work on the proposed South Platte River canal would take eight to 10 years to complete.
But Nebraska must act now, he said, to claim its rights under the 1923 compact before the South Platte water is locked up forever by rapid development in Colorado's Front Range.
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"The Front Range demand for water is insatiable," warned Tom Riley, director of the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources.
Construction of the proposed canal and reservoir system would "give Nebraska certainty that the water will be there in the future," he said.
Colorado has indicated that it will "be very aggressive" about protecting its South Platte River water supply, Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson said.
"We will build this canal," Ricketts vowed. "It's the only way we can exercise our water rights."
Development in Colorado is on course to take 90% of the South Platte water, the governor said.
A spokesman for Democratic Colorado Gov. Jared Polis has called the project “a bad-faith attempt to undermine a century-long and successful compact between Colorado and Nebraska and a costly boondoggle for Nebraska taxpayers.”
The 1923 compact's guarantees of water from the river during non-irrigation seasons is critical to protect Nebraska's drinking water, power supply, continuing irrigation needs and natural environment, Ricketts said.
The proposed lake between Lincoln and Omaha, which would be larger than Lake Okoboji in Iowa, is viewed as a project that would promote tourism and economic development, as well as providing water recreational opportunities and improving the quality of life in the state.
It is the major project in a water development bill that includes marina development at Lake McConaughy near Ogallala, along with marina and site improvement at Lewis and Clark State Recreation Area and creation of an event center at Niobrara State Park, both in northeast Nebraska.
Answering questions on other matters, Ricketts repeated his view that Republican gubernatorial candidate Charles Herbster "needs to apologize to the women" who have accused him of sexual-related misconduct, "seek help and step out of the race."
Herbster has denied the allegations, describing them as libelous and "100% false."
Ricketts is supporting Republican candidate Jim Pillen in the May 10 GOP primary election.
This preliminary rendering shows the potential for economic development adjacent to a proposed 4,000-acre lake between Lincoln and Omaha. The proposal awaits a feasibility study to consider its potential impact on the future water supply for Lincoln and Omaha.