The State of Nebraska has 6 compacts, decrees, or interstate agreements between Nebraska and with bordering states to manage the balance between supply and demand for watersheds that span state boundaries. Interstate compacts, such as the Republican River Compact between Colorado, Nebraska and Kansas, use the Compact Clause of the U.S. Constitution to develop agreements between states approved by Congress and the legislatures of each participating state. Other compacts include the Upper Niobrara River Compact, South Platte River Compact, and Big Blue River Compact. Interstate Water Decrees, such as the North Platte River Decree between Colorado, Wyoming and Nebraska, determine the equitable apportionment of water between states through the decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court. Other forms of Interstate Water Agreements are also used between Nebraska and its neighboring states, such as the Platte River Recovery and Implementation Program (PRRIP). PRRIP is a basin-wide effort between the U.S. Department of the Interior and the states of Colorado, Nebraska and Wyoming, designed to create benefits for threatened and endangered species in the Platte River Basin while also providing regulatory certainty for water users. Through PRRIP, the states and U.S. have developed land and water resources, while using scientific monitoring and adaptive management, to evaluate and enhance PRRIP benefits for the various target species.
TFG has partnered with the State of Nebraska Department of Natural Resources (now part of Nebraska’s new Department of Water, Energy, and Environment) and all 23 of the State’s Natural Resources Districts to provide technical support on projects related to each and every one of Nebraska’s 6 compacts, decrees and interstate water agreements described above.
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