Sept. 23, 2010

Nebraska’s obligations under the terms of the Republican Basin Compact and the Cooperative Agreement for the Platte River, as well as our continuing commitment to future generations, require reductions in the consumptive use of water in irrigation.

Reducing irrigation in a cost effective and equitable way is perhaps the most important water policy challenge that Nebraska must address. Determining how to meet this challenge involves the following questions:

• How will irrigators be affected by irrigation reduction programs such as allocation or forced reductions in irrigated acres?
• How will the Nebraska economy and local communities be affected?
• What is the least cost method of reducing irrigation consumptive use (CU)?
• Who should bear the cost of irrigation reduction programs: irrigators, Natural Resources Districts (NRDs) or the State of Nebraska?

Read the rest of this Sept. 15 Cornhusker Economics column by Ray Supalla at http://www.agecon.unl.edu/Cornhuskereconomics/9-15-10.pdf

Also, view previous Cornhusker Economics.