NORTH PLATTE- While on a visit to North Platte, Gov. Jim Pillen and Nebraska Department of Natural Resources Director Tom Riley reaffirmed their support for the Perkins County Canal, which would, if built, divert South Platte River water from Ovid, Colorado, send it through Keith County, and pump it into Nebraska. "It's not just a western Nebraska benefit," said Pillen, "Everybody all the way to the Missouri River benefits."

Pillen, who succeeded canal proponent and former Gov. Pete Ricketts, said he was given an extended look at the territory where the canal would run. Pillen and Riley met with stakeholders from the Twin Platte and South Platte natural resources districts, as well as the Nebraska Association of Resources District and the Nebraska Public Power District, to discuss the project, which will be funded by the passage of the governor's budget this week.

Former Gov. Pete Ricketts originally sought to invoke the century-old South Platte River Compact with Colorado in an attempt to divert the water, and the Legislature quickly allocated its first round of funding for the project during the 2022 session. If completed, and according to Gov. Pillen, the canal would allow Nebraska to capture excess flows in high-water periods and enable the state to divert periodic South Platte floodwaters.

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