Water fight between Nebraska & Colorado heats up in front of the U.S. Supreme Court
- Media Logic Radio
- Oct 30
- 1 min read
The long-running water fight between Nebraska and Colorado is heating up again — this time in front of the U.S. Supreme Court.
Nebraska filed a new brief Wednesday, accusing Colorado of stealing up to 1.3 million acre-feet of water from the South Platte River — water Nebraska says it’s owed under a 1923 interstate compact.
At the heart of the dispute is Nebraska’s plan to build the Perkins County Canal — a 109-mile ditch that would start near Ovid, Colorado, and carry water into Nebraska for irrigation. Nebraska argues Colorado has violated the compact for years by allowing junior water users to take more than their share, cutting off flows to Nebraska farms and causing crop failures.
Colorado officials, including Governor Jared Polis and Attorney General Phil Weiser, say the claims are baseless and that Colorado has always met its compact obligations. They call Nebraska’s lawsuit premature, noting the canal hasn’t even been built yet.
Nebraska counters that delays only help Colorado, which it says continues to divert water that should flow downstream. Nebraska’s attorney general, Mike Hilgers, is urging the Supreme Court to fast-track the case, saying Nebraska “cannot afford more time.”
Colorado has not yet responded publicly to the latest filing, but Weiser’s office says it will make its case in court.
