LINCOLN- As lawmakers prepare to allocate funding for a $574.5 million canal project, which will divert water from Colorado to Nebraska, internal research at the Capitol seems to suggest that the project will not be as fruitful as previously thought. In fact, the Legislature's Research Office found that an outside consultant's report, which was used by lawmakers to justify spending more than half a billion dollars on the project, may overestimate stream flows and overstate the canal's benefits.

These findings are raising questions about the exceedingly expensive canal project. "I guess, if I were a legislator, I'd have to pause," said Mike Jess, former head of Nebraska's former Department of Water Resource, "Is there a better place we can spend this money?" The research conducted by the internal office is meant to bolster the decisions made by state lawmakers. However, according to the Office's report on the canal, the consultant's report "creates a false impression of the quantity of water the canal could deliver."

The original report on the canal's benefits, which was released by Zanjero, stated that the canal would provide "significant benefits for all Nebraska water users in the Platte River system that exceed project costs." Despite questions on the validity of this report, it seems that lawmakers, as well as the Department of Natural Resources, are set on pursuing this endeavor, despite the substantial cost.

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