North Platte River

Lake McConaughy and Kingsley Dam inlet
Lake McConaughy and Kingsley Dam inlet structures. (Photo by Gary Stone)

The North Platte River — Multi-use Water, Part 6

September 1, 2022
Part 6 of Extension Educator Gary Stone's series on the North Platte River features the remaining dams and powerplants in Nebraska and Wyoming.

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Glendo powerplant
The Glendo powerplant — a part of the Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program that controls water use for the entire basin — supplies power to Nebraska, Colorado and Wyoming. (Photo by Gary Stone)

The North Platte River — Multi-use Water, Part 5

August 25, 2022
Extension Educator Gary Stone discusses the history and functions of the Glendo Unit, which controls water use for the Missouri River Basin and generates hydropower for Nebraska, Colorado and Wyoming.

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Sierra Madre Mountain Range Snowpack
The Sierra Madre Mountain Range Snowpack in 2016. (Photo by Gary Stone)

The North Platte River — Multi-use Water, Part 4

August 3, 2022
In this installment of the series, Nebraska Extension Educator Gary Stone reviews the history of the Kortes Unit, which was part of a program that managed water use for the entire Missouri River Basin.

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Seminoe dam
Figure 1. Seminoe dam and reservoir were built in the 1930s, specifically to provide hydropower generation.

The North Platte River — Multi-use Water, Part 3

July 19, 2022
In this installment of the series, Nebraska Extension Educator Gary Stone reviews the history of the Kendrick Project, which resulted in the Seminoe and Alcova dams.

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Pathfinder Dam spillway
Figure 1. The Pathfinder Dam spillway overflow when there was an excess of water.

The North Platte River — Multi-use Water, Part 2

July 7, 2022
The second article in Nebraska Extension Educator Gary Stone's six-part series on the North Platte River features history on the Pathfinder, Guernsey and Whalen dams.

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Wyoming mountain snowpack

The North Platte River — Multi-use Water, Part 1

June 30, 2022
The first of a six-part series focused on the dams, reservoirs, power generation and some diversion dams located on the North Platte River.

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Snowpack on the Snowy Mountain Range that feeds the North Plate River system
Figure 1. Snowpack on the Snowy Mountain Range that feeds the North Plate River system. The US Bureau of Reclamation monitors snowpack to estimate the amount of water in the North Platte Basin likely to be available this growing season. (Photo by Gary Stone)

North Platte River Basin Snow Melt Runoff Update for 2020

April 13, 2020
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Wyoming Area Office has released their forecast for spring snow melt runoff for the North Platte River drainage. The forecast calls for above average snow melt runoff.

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An aerial view of the sink holes created by the July 17 tunnel collapse on the Gering-Fort Laramie/Goshen Irrigation District canal.
Figure 1. An aerial view of the sink holes created by the July 17 tunnel collapse on the Gering-Fort Laramie/Goshen Irrigation District canal. The larger sink hole is approximately 100 feet across and 50 feet deep. (Photo by Justin Burkart, Goshen Emergency Management Association)

Update on Efforts to Restore Water to North Platte River Valley Canal

July 26, 2019
The Gering/Ft. Laramie Irrigation District and the Goshen Irrigation District (Wyoming) held stakeholder meetings this week to discuss the status of canal damage and repairs and how to restore irrigation water to 100,000+ acres. Initial canal repairs have started, with tunnel repairs expected to start soon.

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