Users in Nebraska and Wyoming of water through the Pathfinder Irrigation District had a disruption of service recently after a breach was repaired at the Interstate Canal located west of Lingle in southeast Wyoming.
The breach occurred on the evening of June 30 and the morning of July 1, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation said in a July 5 news release.
The canal was diverting approximately 1,800 cubic feet per second at the time of the breach.
“The Pathfinder Irrigation District and Reclamation, are assessing the situation,” Lyle Myler, Wyoming Area office manager, said in the news release. “We are responding as quickly and as safely as possible to return the canal to service.”
Pathfinder Irrigation District provides surface irrigation water to over 865 customers in Western Nebraska to irrigate over 100,000 acres in Morrill, Scottsbluff and Sioux counties, Pathfinder Irrigation’s website said.
Over 90,000 irrigated acres were expected to experience a temporary discontinuation of water service, the July 5 new release said. Before the repair, Pathfinder Irrigation District placed riprap in the breach to minimize flooding and retain water in the canal, which is over 100 years old, having been constructed during 1905-1915.
“It follows the contour of the land for 95 miles from Whalen Diversion Dam to Lake Alice and Lake Minatare Reservoirs northeast of Scotts Bluff, Nebraska,” the news release said. “The canal serves Lingle, Hill and Pathfinder Irrigation Districts.”
The repair of the canal by Lingle was completed to a point in which water could be brought down for users in Nebraska and Wyoming, the Pathfinder Irrigation District said in a July 7 news release. Because the repaired canal will be monitored, its startup “will be slower than usual,” making it difficult to determine exactly when water will be available to users.
For over 100 years, the Bureau of Reclamation has participated in the conservation and development of Wyoming's water resources, according to the Bureau’s website. The Wyoming Area Office service area includes Wyoming east of the Continental Divide, extending into western Nebraska.
“The Wyoming Area Office in Mills, Wyoming, manages the Boysen, Glendo, Hanover-Bluff, Kortes, Owl Creek, and Riverton units of the Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program, the Shoshone Project in the Bighorn River Basin, and the North Platte and Kendrick Projects in the North Platte River Basin,” the website said. “These multipurpose projects include 20 reservoirs, 3,800 miles of canals and laterals, and 11 operating hydroelectric power plants. The collective storage capacity is more than 4.5 million acre-feet and combined installed power capacity is over 280 megawatts.”
