Western Water Use Management Model

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The North Platte NRD uses the data gathered and incorporates the information into a groundwater model to enhance its decision-making capabilities.  The models are used to simulate conditions in the aquifers, and they can be used to predict future conditions.  By better understanding how the water system works, the NRD will have a better tool to work towards one of its primary goals protecting the District’s water resources for the future. 

In the past, the North Platte NRD relied on a groundwater model developed through the Cooperative Hydrology Study (COHYST).  The model covered the Platte, Republican, and Loups River basins.  To get a more accurate picture of the aquifers in the Panhandle, the North Platte and South Platte NRDs developed the Western Water Use Management Model.  The model focuses on Scotts Bluff, Morrill, Garden, Banner, Kimball, Duel, Cheyenne, and Southern Sioux Counties.

The NRD will use the model to focus on the following:

  • Understanding water use and how it has changed over time

  • Better understanding of both surface and groundwater to determine if the Integrated  Management Plan goals are being met

  • How drought, conservation measures, and groundwater pumping affect the whole water system

  • Provides an evaluation of management decisions

Click here for the Chronological Index of Documentation on the Western Water Use Management Model as put together by Adaptive Resources staff on behalf of the North and South Platte Natural Resources Districts.

For more information, call the North Platte NRD office at 308-632-2749.