Areas of gain and loss along the Platte River, central Nebraska, spring 1999

In an effort to protect endangered and other wildlife species, the governors of Nebraska, Colorado, and Wyoming, and the Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior signed an agreement in 1997 (Platte River Endangered Species Partnership, 1997) to initiate the development of a basin-wide habitat recovery program for the central reaches of the Platte River in Nebraska.  This agreement recognizes the need to maintain minimal flows in the central reaches of the Platte River.  An understanding of the surface-water and ground-water interaction along the central reaches of the Platte River is critical to deliver water to the targeted habitat areas.  Therefore, a study by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, was conducted to determine qualitatively the areas of gain and loss along the central Platte River between Gothenburg and Silver Creek, Nebraska (fig. 1).  The purpose of this report is to present the results of the study.