YOUR BEST PRACTICE
By Scott Dicke
AGING INFRASTRUCTURE & the NEXT 100 YEARS
A proactive approach to replace irrigation canal siphons will help preserve uninterrupted irrigation, regional economic vitality, groundwater recharge and water-based recreation.
M
any of Nebraska’s surface water irrigation projects — of which there are dozens — face the problem of aging infrastructure
and limited funds to maintain and repair irrigation structures. The importance of irrigation infrastructure to agricultural productivity and effective management of water resources is often overlooked when the topic of irrigated agriculture is discussed in the state. The Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District (known as Central) is working to address its aging infrastructure.
Central is the largest surface water irrigation project in the state. It provides irrigation deliveries, hydroelectric generation, groundwater recharge, recreation and wildlife habitat. Headquartered in Holdrege, Nebraska, Central owns and operates Kingsley Dam and Lake McConaughy, Nebraska’s largest storage reservoir and the linchpin of its irrigation and hydropower project which began operation in 1941.
Central delivers water to more than 110,000 acres under contracts with its irrigation customers, most of whom take water from three main irrigation canals. An additional 100,000 acres are served by other irrigation projects receiving water from Lake McConaughy. Central’s system of reservoirs and canals also provides documented groundwater recharge benefits to another 310,000 acres.
REPAIRS FOR E-65
The Elwood Pump Station includes three pumps used to fill Elwood Reservoir.
26 Irrigation TODAY | Winter 2022
The E-65 Canal is one of the main canals. Its head gate is located adjacent to the Johnson Lake inlet southwest of Lexington, Nebraska. The canal extends south six
Above: The irrigation water stored in Lake McConaughy creates the second most popular tourism destination in Nebraska with nearly 2 million visitors annually. In 2021, a $2 million project began to repaint the 80-year-old outlet structure shown in this photo. Photo: CNPPID
miles before reaching the Carl Curtis Pump Station. The facility’s three 350-horsepower pumps can pump 245 cubic feet per second of water into Elwood Reservoir, which was added to the irrigation project in 1977. Elwood Reservoir covers 1,100 surface acres, has an operational capacity of 24,715 acre-feet and total storage capacity of 40,000 acre-feet. It also is well known for its fishery stocked with a variety of game fish.
The E-65 siphons were part of the original project construction in the late 1930s and have been in service since 1941. The siphons are essential to conveying water to 150 irrigation customers at 414 separate turn-out points serving more than 42,000 acres.
After 80 years of service, the existing siphons are in a deteriorating condition. The longest section has required numerous repairs over time. Because the siphon’s cathodic protection failed many years ago, a temporary synthetic coating was used to extend the pipe’s operational life, but the repairs were not intended to be a permanent solution.
irrigationtoday.org
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