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Enough Water To Go Around?
At Guernsey rest stop 2.5 miles east of Guernsey |
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| The Platte River has two forks, both originate in the high Colorado Rockies. This is the north fork of the Platte. The northfork and south fork join in western Nebraska and eventually flow into the Missouri River. As human populations have grown throughout the world, so has their need for water. Platte River water irrigates croplands in Wyoming, Colorado, and Nebraska—part of our nation’s breadbasket. It provides drinking water for over four million people and as many domestic animals. Competition for this water is fierce. Fish and wildlife also rely on this water to survive. Upstream and downstream wildlife use the water from the river for drinking and as a home. It is particularly important as a resting place for millions of ducks and geese as well as the nation’s largest single gathering of sandhill cranes. Vegetation growing along the river’s banks is lush because of the deep soils and available water. This vegetation, when protected and conserved, grows deep roots which hold river bank soils together, keeps the river from eroding the banks and filters soil out of the water before entering the river. River bank vegetation helps keep the river water clean for humans, fish, and wildlife.
All humans along the Platte are responsible for the river’s water. We control the destiny of humans and wildlife on the Platte. Part of our responsibility to Wyoming’s resources is its wild places and wild things. |
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