NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (KNOP) - Local, state, and federal agencies started the first stage of the “North Platte Test Flow Release” Monday using Environmental Account (EA) water from Lake McConaughy.
The North Platte “chokepoint” is that reach of the North Platte River extending a few miles on either side of the Highway 83 bridge where the encroachment of invasive phragmites vegetation has significantly reduced the river’s flow capacity at flood stage relative to conditions that were present in the late 1990s when the Platte River Recovery Implementation Program (PRRIP) objectives were originally developed.
The plan is to achieve a a flow of 3,000 cfs at the North Platte chokepoint while remaining below flood stage. The current National Weather Service flood stage for the North Platte River at North Platte is 6.0 feet. The flood stage will be increased to 6.5 feet over the next three weeks.
Flows are not expected to exceed flood stage at any gauge on the North Platte River or Platte River other than the North Platte River at North Platte.
Officials say the goal is to restore habitat and threatened and endangered species in the Central Platte River, while protecting human health and safety and preventing damage to land along the river.
“We like to keep the Platte Channel wide because the whooping cranes like a big view when they are roosting at night and the Sandhill cranes like that as well,” said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service EA Manager Tom Econopouly. “A few years back we completed the maintenance on the State Channel Berm that now protects North River Road and the Washboard Road area, so it took a couple of years to plan for this.”
The test flow release is a collaborative effort between PRRIP stakeholders and local officials, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District (CNPPID), Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD), National Weather Service, Nebraska Department of Natural Resources, City of North Platte, and Lincoln County Emergency Management. These agencies will closely monitor the weather as well as water level conditions in and around North Platte to determine if changes to the plan are needed.
The last day for the test is July 31.
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July 15, 2020 at 05:04AM
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Chokepoint test flow release begins along the North Platte River - KNOP
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