The Nebraska Association of Resources Districts (NARD), in collaboration with the South Platte Basin NRDs, is pleased to invite you to the 2026 NRD Basin Tour. This year we will be touring the proposed Perkins County Canal in the South Platte River Basin and learn how it will be tied into the existing canal and storage systems. The tour will begin in North Platte, NE, on June 8^th, beginning at noon central time.  Lunch will kick off the event.

Tentative Tour Details:

Monday, June 8
We will begin in North Platte and tour the Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District (CNPPID) diversion and system.  Along the way, to their first major storage structure below the diversion at Jeffery Lake, we will see the Fort McPherson National Cemetery and the site of the original Fort McPherson post used in the settlement days.  At Jeffery Lake you will see the hydro facility and the original headquarter structures used by the engineers for construction of the system in the 1930s. We will also see the fire damage from the Cottonwood fires between Brady and Gothenburg.  

We will continue down the Platte Basin to see the Dawson County Canal systems that are in partnership with the Central Platte NRD.

As we head down the basin, we will end up at Johnson Lake and Elwood Reservoir south of Lexington, which is operated by CNPPID.  We will head back to North Platte, stopping for an evening meal in Gothenburg.

Tuesday, June 9
We leave North Platte and head to Colorado to see where the Perkins Canal diversion will be located.  We will follow the South Platte River to the Western Canal diversion in Nebraska.  The Perkins County Canal project will be able to tie in and supplement irrigation water to that existing Nebraska system.   

We will then travel to Lake McConaughy north of Ogallala to view the storage and hydropower system.  A lunch will be provided at the McConaughy Visitor Center.  Traveling down the system, we will stop at NPPD’s Paxton Diversion that moves water from the North Platte system under the city of Paxton, the South Platte River, and I-80, to NPPD’s canal system feeding to Sutherland Reservoir.  The Perkins County Canal system will feed into that canal to lower water demand on the North Platte River.

We will tour the Sutherland Reservoir where the water is used to cool Gerald Gentleman Station, Nebraska’s largest electric-generating facility.

The water then flows in the Sutherland Canal to Lake Maloney south of North Platte to serve as a supply to NPPD’s hydropower plants south of North Platte.  Once discharged to the Platte River, the water flows in the Platte River about two miles before it is diverted into the CNPPID system, the point where we started   Monday. 

Registration Information:
To reserve your seat, please submit your completed registration form to the NARD office by Wednesday, May 13^th.   Space is limited and early registration is encouraged.
Register on line here, or download the registration form. 

Registration Fee Includes:

• All meals, breaks and activities
• Motor coach transportation
• Monday night lodging (NARD will arrange hotel accommodation)

If you plan to arrive early and need a room for Sunday night, be sure to mark this on your registration form. All lodgings must be booked through NARD.

We look forward to seeing you in June!