April 20, 2022 |
The state engineer’s office has put a call on the North Platte River to protect senior water rights.
With snow/water equivalents in the North Platte River Basin sitting at 85 percent this week and the seven day forecast calling for less than a tenth of an inch precipitation, priority administration is in effect on water rights diverting from the North Platte River and its tributaries upstream of and junior to the 1904 priority right of Pathfinder Reservoir, priority of December 6, 1904.
The announcement, made on April 7th, mainly affects junior rights held by some municipalities, including Saratoga. The issue was discussed at last night’s town council meeting, where Public Works Director Jon Winter said he received a call from the SEO last Friday.
Pictured above: File photo of the Upper North Platte River. Photo by Bigfoot 99.
In-town users will not be affected, but the town is required take action to replenish water pumped from its wells this month as required by the state. We’ll have more details tomorrow on Bigfoot 99.
The administration notice will be in effect until May 1, the start of irrigation season. It could be lifted sooner if conditions warrant.
