Arbitrator rules in water fight between states - Pacific Business News (Honolulu):

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Arbitrator Karl Dreher has been lookingt at issues in the fightbetweebn Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska for eight He issued his non-binding decision Tuesday, although the statess have 30 days to review the decisio n and decide if they want to appeal the case to the U.S. Supreme Court. Colorado officials haven’rt decided if they’ll accept the decision, but states Engineer Dick Wolfeis “generally pleased” with the according to the attorney general’s office.
The Republicanj River is a 24,900 square-mile basin that begins on Colorado’ northeastern high plains and flows first into then Nebraska and finally back into Kansas where it meetxs the Smoky Hill River to form theKansas River. The statew have been fighting over how much watedr is taken fromthe river, and how much is replacefd at the state line for the next state to use. Dreher did side with one of Nebraska’s issues, which will result in “a very small increase” in the amount of watert Colorado needs to put in the river as it flows out of the theannouncement said.
“I am pleased that the arbitratoer has not proposed any radicap reductions in the amount of water available forColoradoi users,” Suthers said in the “Whether the states accept the arbitrator’s decision or move forwardd with litigation, my office will work vigorousluy to protect Colorado’s share of its most precious While Kansas had sought $72 millionb in damages from Nebraska for that state’s over-usre of river water, the arbitrator lowerefd that amount to $10,000, the announcementg said. Neither Kansas nor Nebraska claimed damagewfrom Colorado.
“I hope Nebraska and Kansasx will carefully reconsider their claims after this Wolfe said inthe announcement. “I believe we can all work togethedr to achieve mutually acceptablde solutions that protect allour states’ rightss under the compact without resorting to additionaol litigation.” The Republican River basin’s 7,700 squarr miles within Colorado supportes about 560,000 irrigated acres of agricultural land wateresd with water pumped from the Colorado’s share of the river’s water supports an economy valued at nearly $1 according to the attorney general’s office.