By NPPD
Columbus, Neb. – Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) is coordinating with Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District (CNPPID) to begin draining Lake Ogallala in late September, to complete maintenance on the Keystone Diversion Dam as well as other canal maintenance projects.
CNPPID will gradually step-down releases from Kingsley Hydro into Lake Ogallala in late September, with a current start date targeted for September 23. Once the lake is drained, flows into Lake Ogallala from the Kingsley Hydro will cease until the work is completed and the lake is refilled. The Kingsley Hydro is owned and operated by CNPPID.
While the lake is drained, crews will be reapplying a protective coating to the five gates on the south side of the Keystone Diversion Dam, which helps regulate the amount of water released from Lake Ogallala into the North Platte River and NPPD’s Sutherland Canal. “The work being done is a part of the overall general maintenance of the dam, and we are working closely with CNPPID and the Nebraska Game and Parks throughout this process,” notes NPPD Canaday, Water, and Renewable Energy Manager Kirk Evert.
The Sutherland Canal provides water for irrigation, hydropower, and cooling for Gerald Gentleman Station (GGS), NPPD’s 1300-megawatt coal plant located near Sutherland. This work will not impact the operation of GGS, and water stored in the Sutherland Reservoir will be used for cooling at the plant until work on the gates is completed and flows from Lake Ogallala can be returned to the Sutherland Canal. Flow in the Sutherland Canal is currently scheduled to resume in mid to late November.
The south end of the Keystone Diversion Dam and the NPPD canal roads near the project area will be closed to the public throughout the duration of the project.