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Governor Pillen Tours State Water Resource Sites on Arbor Day
LINCOLN, NE – Governor Jim Pillen toured major water resource sites during Arbor Day including the Perkins County Canal project. Governor Pillen was joined by Lieutenant Governor Joe Kelly, Nebraska Department of Natural Resources Director Tom Riley and State Senators Bob Dover, Loren Lippincott, Steve Erdman, Brian Hardin, Teresa Ibach, and Mike Jacobson.
In addition to the Perkins County Canal project, Governor Pillen toured Lake McConaughy, NPPD Water Systems in Paxton, and the Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District Diversion Dam in North Platte.
"Water is our state's most precious resource and we've been blessed with an abundance of streams, rivers, and aquifers," said Governor Pillen. "Successfully managing our water resources is key to help propel the economic engine of our state. The Perkins County Canal serves as the only means for Nebraska to control its future South Platte River water supplies. The project has my full support."
"We were able to see several components of Nebraska’s existing water supply infrastructure today and hear directly from those stakeholders how critical that infrastructure is to supplying irrigation, cooling water for Gerald Gentlemen Station, hydropower, meeting environmental needs of the central Platte River, and water supply for our biggest cities as well," said Director Riley. "The Perkins County Canal project is critical to ensuring we maintain the water supplies that provide those benefits and ensure that they are resilient into the future."
Below are pictures from the tours.
