Platte River

Platte
Map of the Platte River, also showing the South and North Platte River watersheds Map of the Platte River, also showing the South and North Platte River watersheds
Origin	Western Nebraska
Mouth	Missouri River, Nebraska
Basin countries	United States
Length	310 miles (499 km)
Source elevation	2,770 feet (844 m) at North Platte, Nebraska

The Platte River is an approximately 310 mi. (499 km) long river in the Western United States. It is a tributary to the Missouri River, which in turn is a tributary to the Mississippi River. Platte River being one of the most significant river systems in the watershed of the Missouri, it drains a large portion of the central Great Plains in Nebraska and the eastern Rocky Mountains in Colorado and Wyoming. The river was highly significant in the westward expansion of the United States, providing the route for several major westward trails, including the Oregon Trail and the Mormon Trail. In the 18th century, it was also known among French fur trappers who explored it as the Nebraska River.

The Platte River is a braided stream that spans from the Rocky Mountains of Colorado and Wyoming to the Missouri River. It then pours into the Missouri River which leads into the Mississippi River and then into the Gulf of Mexico.

Description

Platte River valley west of Omaha, Nebraska

The Platte River is formed in western Nebraska east of the city of North Platte by the confluence of its two affluents, the South Platte and the North Platte rivers, both of which rise in the eastern Rockies near the Continental Divide. It flows in a large arc, southeast then northeast, across Nebraska south of the Sandhills region, passing the towns of Gothenburg, Cozad, Kearney, and Grand Island. It is joined by the Loup River 5 miles (8.0 km) southeast of Columbus and flows east past North Bend then to Fremont, then south, passing south of Omaha and joining the Missouri River 5 miles (8.0 km) north of Plattsmouth. Combined with the length of the North Platte, the Platte stretches 990 miles (1,593 km), with a drainage basin of some 90,000 square miles (233,099 km²).

The Platte River has three main stretches from the Rocky Mountains to North Platte, Nebraska from there to Columbus, Nebraska and the onto the Missouri River. It starts from ice melt in the mountains and then follows down to the plains of Nebraska where it is used to irrigate farmland. The Platte is stabilized by reservoir storage of flood water and return flow by ground storage and many small tributaries along the entire length of the river.

The Platte River is connected to many numbers of tributaries such as the North and South Platte Rivers which originate in the Rocky Mountains. From there it loses water on its way to the Missouri River - if it weren’t for its main tributaries, the Loup and Elkhorn Rivers, as well as the Salt Creek, the Platte River would run dry due to evaporation and irrigation.

A Great Blue Heron and immature Bald Eagle on the Platte River in Nebraska

The Platte drains one of the most arid areas of the Great Plains and thus its flow is considerably lower than rivers of comparable length in North America. For much of its length, it is a classic wide and shallow braided stream. During pioneer days, the common humorous description was that the Platte was "a mile wide at the mouth, but only six inches deep." 49ers said it was "too thick to drink, too thin to plow." In western Nebraska, the banks and riverbed of the Platte provide a green oasis amid an otherwise semi-arid region of North America. The central Platte River valley is an important stopover for migratory water birds, such as the Whooping Crane and Sandhill Crane, in their yearly traversal of the Central Flyway.

This river has shrunk significantly in the past 70 years. This reduction in size is attributed in part to irrigation, and to a much greater extent to the waters diverted and used by the growing population of Colorado, which has outstripped the ability of its groundwater to sustain them. More than a dozen dams regulate water flow along its path, decreasing its width.

History

The first European to discover the Platte was the French explorer Étienne de Veniard, sieur de Bourgmont in 1714, who named it the Nebraskier, an Oto word meaning "flat water." The French word for flat, platte, was later applied. The river provided valuable transportation for the French trade in furs with the Pawnee and Oto indians

The Platte lay in a gray area between Spanish and French claims in the Great Plains. Joseph Naranjo, a black explorer, had also encountered the Platte, and later guided the Villasur expedition there to stop French expansion. Theirs was the deepest penetration of Spanish exploration into the central plains.

Ceded to the United States in the Louisiana Purchase, the Platte was explored and mapped by Major Stephen H. Long in 1820. The Platte was used by American trappers, and the Great Platte River Road played an important role in westward expansion during the 19th century. It provided fresh water, game, and a clear path westward for the pioneers. Both the Oregon Trail and the Mormon Trail followed the Platte (and the North Platte). In the 1860s, the Platte and North Platte furnished the route of Pony Express and later for the Union Pacific portion of the first transcontinental railroad. In the 20th century, its valley was used for the route of the Lincoln Highway and later for Interstate 80, which parallels the Platte (and the North Platte) through most of Nebraska.

This is also why many or most of Nebraska’s larger cities are located on or near the Platte River such as Omaha, Lincoln, Kearney, Grand Island, and North Platte. There were also historical sites along the Platte River such as Fort Kearny and other fur trading posts mostly due to the ease and abundance of traveling along the Platte River.

It is a very important historical piece in that it provided a well known and consistent path for the people who traveled along the Oregon and Mormon Trail. Now it is used as the route which I-80 follows across the middle of our country.

Then in 1859 the first irrigation ditch was built to divert water from the Platte in order to be used in farming. There are also many reservoirs along the Platte River used to supply water for farming irrigation such as Swanson Reservoir, Lake McConaughy, and Plum Creek Reservoir.

Species

The Platte is in the middle of the Central Flyway which is a primary North- South Corridor for migratory birds which affects many species including the Whooping Crane, Piping Plover, and Interior Least Tern which are all endangered and protected under the Platte River Endangered Species Partnership as well as the Pallid Sturgeon. It is also home to many other plants and animals.

Plants that occur often in the Platte River area are Big and Little Bluestem, switch grass, and cottonwood trees. Some of the more charismatic animals are white-tail deer, many types of catfish, Canada geese, and bald eagles. The Platte River has always been able to support many animals but recently due to urbanization and farming the ecosystem is being depleted.

Policy

The criteria for over appropriation according to the final reading of LB 962 is if the river basin, sub basin, or reach is subject to an interstate cooperative agreement among three or more states and if , prior to such date, the department has declared a moratorium on the issuance of new surface water appropriations in such river basin, sub basin or reach and has requested each natural resource district with jurisdiction in the affected area in such river basin, sub basin or reach either to close or to continue in effect a previously adopted closure of all or part of such river basin, sub basin, or reach to the issuance of additional water well permits in accordance with subdivision. The Platte River basin is mostly currently under over appropriation conditions.

There are also other policies currently in use. One of these that are being used to hopefully decrease the chance of waters becoming over appropriated is Platte River Cooperative Hydrology Study (COHYST) which is a product of the LB 962 bill. COHYST is a seven million dollar study of areas along the Platte River with goals to manage flows in the Platte River in order to benefit wildlife and determine whether or not areas are over appropriated.

Further reading

• Bruce, B.W. and P.B. McMahon. (1998). Shallow ground-water quality of selected land-use/aquifer settings in the South Platte River Basin, Colorado and Nebraska, 1993-95 [U.S. Geological Survey Water-resources Investigations Report 97-4229]. Denver: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey.
• Condon, S.M. (2005). Geologic studies of the Platte River, south-central Nebraska and adjacent areas, geologic maps, subsurface study, and geologic history [U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1706]. Reston, VA: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey.
• Dennehy, D.F. et al. (1998). Water quality in the South Platte River Basin, Colorado, Nebraska, and Wyoming, 1992-95 [U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1167]. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey.
• Druliner, A.D., B.J. Esmoil, and J.M. Spears. (1999). Field screening of water quality, bottom sediment, and biota associated with irrigation drainage in the North Platte Project area, Nebraska and Wyoming, 1995 [U.S. Geological Survey Water-resources Investigations Report 98-4210]. Lincoln, NE: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey.
• Hardgree, M. (1995). A selected bibliography on the hydrology of the Platte River Basin in Nebraska through 1991 [U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 94-496]. Lincoln, NE: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey.
• Kimbrough, R.A. and D.W. Litke. (1998). Pesticides in surface water in agricultural and urban areas of the South Platte River Basin, from Denver, Colorado, to North Platte, Nebraska, 1993-94 [U.S. Geological Survey Water-resources Investigations Report 97-4230]. Denver: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey.
• Larson, L.R. (1985). Water quality of the North Platte River, east-central Wyoming [U.S. Geological Survey Water-resources Investigations Report 84-4172]. Cheyenne, WY: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey.
• Litke, D.W. (1996). Sources and loads of nutrients in the South Platte River, Colorado and Nebraska, 1994-95 [U.S. Geological Survey Water-resources Investigations Report 96-4029]. Denver: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey.
• Sprague, L.A. and A.I. Greve. (2003). Changes in nutrient and pesticide concentrations in urban and agricultural areas of the South Platte River Basin, Colorado, Wyoming, and Nebraska, 1994-2000 [U.S. Geological Survey Water-resources Investigations Report 02-4270]. Denver: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey.

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Algis, Laukaitis J. Searching for the Source. UNL. Lincoln: CoJMC, 2006.
• Caponera, Daunte. Principles of Water Law and Administration: National and International. Taylor and Francis, 1992. 126-127.
• Carolyn, Johnsen. Wrestling for Resources. UNL. Lincoln: CoJMC, 2006.
• Condra, G. E. Development of the Platte River Bottomland in South Central Nebraska.

Annals of the Association of American Geographers 21 (1931): 101-105.

• Endangered and Threatened Species of the Platte River. Washington, DC: The National Academies P, 2005.
• Europeans Compete for Trade. Nebraska Studies. 20 Apr. 2008 <http://www.nebraskastudies.org/0300/frameset_reset.html?http://www.nebraskas tudies.org/0300/stories/0301_0112.htm
• Kirsch, Eileen. Wildlife Monographs, No. 132, Habitat Selection and Productivity of Least Terns on the Lower Platte River, Nebraska (Jan., 1996), pp. 3-48
• Kirsch, Eileen et al. Colonial Waterbirds, Vol. 16, No. 2 (1993), pp. 139-148
• Max, Post Van Der Burg. A Diminishing Habitat. UNL. Lincoln: CoJMC, 2006.
• McCammon, Sarah. Cohyst Project. UNL. Lincoln: CoJMC, 2006.
• Nebraska. Natural Resources. Legislative Bill 962. 2004.
• Nebraska State Map Collection. 29 Apr. 2008 <http://geology.com/state- map/nebraska.shtml>.
• Nemec, Kristine. Underground Treasure Trove. UNL. Lincoln: CoJMC, 2006.
• Phelps, Steven. Genetic Identity of Pallid and Shovelnose Sturgeon. Copeia, Vol. 1983, No. 3 (Aug. 16, 1983), pp. 696-700

Summary of LB 962 Activities. Nebraska Department Natural Resources, 2004.

External links

Credits

New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit is due under the terms of this license that can reference both the New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here:

• Platte River  ^history

The history of this article since it was imported to New World Encyclopedia:

• History of "Platte River"

Note: Some restrictions may apply to use of individual images which are separately licensed.