Fight Over Water from the South Platte River Continues Between Colorado & Nebraska
- Media Logic Radio
- 8 hours ago
- 1 min read
Colorado’s top leaders are pushing back hard against Nebraska’s latest move in a long-running fight over water from the South Platte River.
Attorney General Phil Weiser called Nebraska’s petition to the U.S. Supreme Court “baseless” and an “unserious boondoggle.” Governor Jared Polis labeled it a “meritless escalation.”
The two states have been at odds over Nebraska’s plan to build the Perkins County Canal in northeast Colorado — a project that would divert South Platte River water into Nebraska.
On Wednesday, Weiser filed Colorado’s formal response to Nebraska’s lawsuit, arguing the case is premature. He said Nebraska hasn’t finalized plans for the canal, hasn’t started eminent domain proceedings, and hasn’t shown that Colorado is violating the century-old South Platte River Compact.
Weiser said, quote, “These hypothetical concerns don’t warrant Supreme Court review — they warrant more conversation.”
Colorado officials say the states were in regular talks about the compact before Nebraska filed the suit in July — a move that surprised them.
State engineer Jason Ullman said Colorado has worked cooperatively with Nebraska for more than a hundred years and hopes that can continue.
The river is critical to Colorado, supplying water to 85 percent of the state’s population and irrigating more than 850,000 acres of farmland. The Supreme Court is expected to decide by July of next year whether to take up Nebraska’s claims — a process that could stretch out for years if it moves forward.
