Water Research
Research studies conducted in the basin that look at runoff, hydrologic trends, and declining flows are essential to the conservation of the basin. This data can be used to better manage the areas and consider what needs to be done to ensure that the water is utilized correctly and that the area would be ready should a drought occur.
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Water Center connects water researchers, policy makers and the public in a number of ways. The Water-Related Research Database houses a wide variety of water-related research. This site is intended as a tool for legislators, government officials and constituents to keep up to date on the water-related research faculty members are conducting.
HDR Engineering, Inc. (2006). The Hydrologic Trends and Correlations in the Republican River Basin in Nebraska. Nebraska Department of Natural Resources. HDR gathered hydrologic data to correlate and define the surface and ground water trends in parts of the Republican River Basin in Nebraska. The USGS was the source for well records.
Szilagyi, J. (2001). Identifying Cause of Declining Flows in the Republican River. Journal of Water Resources and Planning Management, 127(4), 244-253. As the title suggests, this study evaluated the causes of declining Republican River flows. It revealed that changing climatic variables were not the reason for reduced flows. Rather, human activities were the primary factor. These activities include construction of reservoirs, changes in vegetative cover, crop irrigation, and more.
Juracek, K. (1999). Estimation of Potential Runoff-Contributing Areas in the Kansas Lower Republican River Basin. U.S. Geological Survey. Water Resources Investigations Report 99-4089. This study was done by Kyle E. Juracek and discussed runoff and declining flows in the basin. Results indicated that the areas with relatively high potential runoff were located in the central part of the Kansas lower Republican River Basin. The sub-basins with lower potential runoff were located in the western one-third of the same basin.
Szilagyi, J. (1999). Streamflow Depletion Investigations in the Republican River Basin: Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas. Journal of Environmental Systems, 27 (3), 251-263. In this study, Szilagyi looked at long-term mean annual streamflow trends in the basin over the last forty to fifty years. The findings show a significant reduction of streamflow over the years.
Department of Interior, Bureau of Reclamation. 1985. The Republican River Basin Water Management Study. University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The purpose of the study was to look at the water needs in the basin, develop alternative management plans, define the causes of declines in the water supplies, and to look at the future water supply capacity in the basin. This book can be found at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln libraries.
United States Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service, Economics, Statistics, and Cooperatives Service, and Forest Service. 1978. The Republican River Basin, Nebraska. University of Nebraska-Lincoln. This book provides historical data regarding the basin. It discusses the climate, soils, water use, surface water, and ground water for the area as well as numerous other aspects of the basin.