The lower republican natural resources district, located in southern nebraska, will install nearreal time telemetry equipment on 1,057 irrigation flow meters and other water managementsensors for…

The Lower Republican Natural Resources District in Nebraska will install telemetry equipment on 1,057 irrigation flow meters and other water management sensors, as well as eight solar-powered weather stations across the district, to improve on-farm water management and reporting through real-time water use data collection and broadcasting under a $4,360,858 Project Grant from the Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation. Funded through Reclamation's WaterSMART program, the project aims to conserve an estimated 4,110 acre-feet of groundwater annually by making irrigation water applications closer to crop needs and improving application efficiency. Real-time data and evapotranspiration forecasts will help irrigators schedule watering more precisely while sustained groundwater levels and increased baseflow in the overappropriated Republican River are expected environmental benefits of the conservation efforts.

The lower republican natural resources district, located in southern nebraska, will install nearreal time telemetry equipment on 1,057 irrigation flow meters and other water managementsensors for improved on farm water management and reporting eight solar powered weatherstations with telemetry will be installed across the district to collect evapotranspiration data thatwill be broadcast to all irrigators in the project area to inform irrigation scheduling currently, groundwater that is overapplied for irrigation is lost to deep percolation from the crop root zoneand runoff the project is expected to result in water savings of 4,110 acre feet annually bymaking seasonal timing of irrigation water application closer to the needs of the crops and byimproving water application efficiency groundwater that is conserved as a result of this projectwill remain in the local aquifer to maintain groundwater levels for future irrigation events andimprove discharge for baseflow in the republican river, which is designated fully appropriatedby the nebraska department of natural resources the availability of real time water use datato the district will also improve management of water on a basin wide scale and contribute tothe district s responsibilities related