LINCOLN, Neb.—Nebraska lawmakers want a task force to recommend ways the Republican River basin can avoid water-shortage problems.
On Friday, they gave first-round approval to a bill (LB1057) that would create a 22-member task force mainly made up of people in the basin and appointed by the governor. The task force would cease its work in mid-2012.
The group would define water sustainability for the basin, recommend ways to achieve it and recommend a plan to avoid water-short years.
A water-short year is defined as when Harlan County Lake is less than about a third full.
Policymakers and water officials have been trying to find ways to meet Nebraska’s obligations under a water compact that includes Kansas and Colorado and guides use of the Republican.
———
On the Net:
Nebraska Legislature:
