News Release Archive

Reclamation Awards $250,000 WaterSMART Grant to Bostwick Irrigation District in Nebraska

Media Contact: Brent Esplin, (308) 389-5310, besplin@usbr.gov
Tyler Johnson, tjohnson@usbr.gov

For Release: August 19, 2010

The Bostwick Irrigation District in Nebraska has been selected for a $250,000 Bureau of Reclamation WaterSMART (Sustain and Manage America's Resources for Tomorrow) Water and Energy Efficiency Grant. The WaterSMART program leverages federal dollars with local funding for projects to improve water management, increase energy efficiency in the delivery of water, facilitate water marketing, protect endangered and threatened species, and to carry out other activities to address climate-related impacts on water or prevent water-related crisis and conflict. The Bostwick project was one of 37 projects selected from the 197 total projects submitted. Proposals were received from water districts, municipalities, and Native American Tribes across the West. Projects were ranked and selected using a published set of criteria.

The Bostwick project will convert 6.8 miles of open ditch canal laterals to buried pipe and is expected to result in savings of approximately 1,360 acre-feet of water annually. The total estimated project cost is $595,000, including $250,000 of Reclamation funding and $345,000 of District funding and in-kind services. Conserved water will be used to reduce water delivery shortages, will be stored for future use or marketing opportunities, or will otherwise assist in achieving compliance with the Republican River Compact.

The Bostwick Irrigation District in Nebraska serves 22,454 acres in south-central Nebraska along the Republican River in Harlan, Franklin, Webster, and Nuckolls counties. The District's water supply is from the natural flows of the Republican River and from irrigation storage in Harlan County Lake and is delivered to project acres through a system of canals and laterals. Construction of the pipe project is scheduled to begin in the fall of 2010 following the irrigation season and should be completed by December, 2011.

"The WaterSMART program provides us with an opportunity to work with our stakeholders and plan future water resource needs for the Bostwick Irrigation District," said Aaron Thompson, the Nebraska-Kansas Area Office Manager. "The ultimate goal is to increase energy efficiency and improve environmental conditions while addressing water demands in Nebraska."

For more information on the WaterSMART program, visit http://www.usbr.gov/WaterSMART/.

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Relevant Link:

Nebraska-Kansas Area Office Home Page