America's Most Endangered Rivers - (Page Cover3) The Niobrara and G l o b a l Wa r m i n g Withdrawing water from the Niobrara to produce corn ethanol will do more harm than good. Corn ethanol production is an inefficient use of energy as well as water, and can release even higher levels of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere than gasoline due to heavy use of fertilizers. Increasing water withdrawals also compound the negative impacts of global warming which will reduce water levels in the Niobrara through evaporation. Water planners should be exploring ways to return water to the river and protect the unique recreation benefits and wildlife habitat it provides to the region. 2006 level was the fifth lowest since 1950. Kayakers and canoeists today notice more exposed sandbars and rock ledges that make it hard to float this already naturally shallow river. As more of the river is appropriated by irrigators, the Niobrara’s economic and recreational values are threatened. The Ogallala Aquifer, the underground water table that sustains the Niobrara River is declining in areas where rates of groundwater pumping have far exceeded rates of replenishment. Recent reports warn that water withdrawals for growing corn and processing it to make ethanol fuel will put unsustainable pressure on the aquifer. Rising prices are driving an explosion in ethanol production. New corn ethanol plants planned and currently under construction in this region will increase ethanol production capacity by 900 percent. Taking more and more water from a finite source with little analysis of the sustainability of such actions just doesn’t make sense in this arid portion of Nebraska. This strategy is already starting to damage the muchloved Niobrara and may deprive communities of all the benefits of a healthy river in the long run. A public power company operating a dam near the mouth of the Niobrara has exercised its senior water right, meaning no new water can be taken from the river – for now. Nonetheless, a more permanent solution is necessary to protect this precious resource. The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission (NGPC) is researching the feasibility of securing an instream flow water right for the Wild and Scenic reach. While this water right would protect a minimum flow in only this particular reach it would, in effect, help to protect hundreds of river miles upstream of the Wild and Scenic River area. An instream water right would safeguard the river’s health by preventing excessive water from being pumped out of a long stretch of river. nation’s natural and cultural heritage. What Can Be Done NGPC must submit the application for an instream flow water right to the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources (NDNR). The NDNR, in turn, must grant an instream flow water right that allows current irrigators their share, but prevents never-ending applications for precious water. The temporary halt on new surface and ground water use in the area, triggered the creation of an Integrated Management Plan for the Niobrara basin. Officials from the NDNR and the five Natural Resource Districts with authority in the Niobrara River basin must ensure that this plan balances preservation of the river’s ecological quality with irrigation and other water use needs. These agencies have an opportunity and a responsibility to ensure that water appropriations don’t drain the river dry, causing the Niobrara, and the assets it provides, to disappear forever. What’s At Stake As the water table drops, wells supplying water for domestic use are threatened. Current irrigation and power generation requires a flowing Niobrara River to support the economies of small area towns. Threatened and endangered species, and state parks and wildlife refuges, all depend on the Niobrara and particularly the protected section of the river. Recreation is vital to local communities and its value is growing. The loss of recreation and tourism to the river and its lush environs would be a damaging blow. In 2008, the 40th anniversary of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, we should celebrate the Niobrara and commit ourselves to protecting this integral part of Nebraska’s and the CONTACT INFO Gary Belan, American Rivers, 202-347-7550 ext. 3027, gbelan@AmericanRivers.org Bruce Kennedy, Nebraska Wildlife Federation, 402-796-2114, brucemargekenn@aol.com Mel Thornton, Friends of the Niobrara, 402-477-7597, melthorn@alltel.net TO TA K E AC T I O N : W W W. AMERICANRIVERS.ORG/NIOBRARA NATIONAL PARK SERVICE http://www.nebraskawildlife.org/ http://www.americanrivers.org/niobrara
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