Did You Know...

. . . that the Bureau of Reclamation's North Platte Project provides many benefits, including irrigation, recreation, hydropower and flood control? The Project extends 111 miles from Guernsey, Wyoming, to Bridgeport, Nebraska. Project features include five storage dams; four diversion dams; one pumping plant; one powerplant; and 2,000 miles of canals, laterals and drains.

About 335,000 acres of sagebrush and rangeland have been transformed into productive farmland. The project has produced alfalfa, corn, potatoes and sugar beets steadily and abundantly. Dry beans have become an important crop.

Foot trails and campgrounds have been developed around Guernsey Reservoir. Many of the facilities are outstanding examples of work performed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. A fine museum, also built by the CCC, houses exhibits pertaining to the area. The dam, powerplant and all CCC structures are included in the National Register of Historic Places. Pathfinder Reservoir is used for boating and fishing. Pathfinder Dam, one of the first dams built under the 1902 Reclamation Act, is also listed in the National Register of Historic Places because of its pioneering role in reclaiming arid lands and the innovative engineering required in its construction.

A direct result of flood control is the increased utilization of river valley lands made safe and productive by the regulation of riverflows. Pathfinder Reservoir has a surcharge capacity of 188,493 acre-feet and has prevented $8.7 million in flood damages since its construction. Guernsey Reservoir has prevented $439.0 thousand in flood damages since its construction.

(reprinted from the USSD Newsletter, March 2004, page 3)