The Republican River Water Conservation District has been working to find enough water to meet the Republican River Compact Compliance ordered by the United States Supreme Court in 2002. On Jan. 22, RRWCD signed the second of two contracts to purchase designated ground water rights that will produce nearly 15,000 acre-feet of water per year for a Compact Compliance pipeline. The pipeline project, if constructed, will deliver water to the North Fork of the Republican River at the Colorado-Nebraska line, to assist Colorado in complying with the Republican River Compact. Also on Jan. 22, the Colorado Water Conservation Board voted unanimously to approve a $60 million loan application by the RRWCD with a 2 percent interest rate over 20 years, to finance the Pipeline project. The loan still requires approval by the Colorado General Assembly, but the application has cleared a major hurdle.

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