LINCOLN - For the first time in four years, Red Willow Reservoir in southwest Nebraska will be drawn down for irrigation this summer, but some farmers say too much water will be wasted and it will be too costly to use.

"This could break some farmers," said Paul Schaffert, who farms near Indianola. "They're going to have to pay $30 an acre for the water, whether they want it or not. It's being forced down their throats."

The condition of the earthen canal will contribute to excessive seepage during the irrigation period, Schaffert said. He also said the water should be kept in the reservoir for the boost its recreation value gives the local economy.

Roy Patterson, who manages the Frenchman-Cambridge Irrigation District based in Cambridge, said the board decided to release enough water to give farmers along the Bartley Canal 8 inches of water per acre in an attempt to save the financially struggling district.

"This is an irrigation district," he said. "We've got to have funds to keep this irrigation going."

Starting about early July, water from the reservoir, 11 miles north of McCook, will flow down Red Willow Creek to the Republican River near Indianola. There it will be diverted into a 19-mile canal that will carry it on the south side of the river nearly to Holbrook. More than 6,400 acres can be irrigated by the water.

Whether or not they use the water, farmers will be charged fees equal to $30 an acre. The release from the reservoir, also known as Hugh Butler Lake, will generate $192,330, Patterson said.

The district loses more than $200,000 a year when low reservoirs prevent water deliveries, Patterson said. The district also pays the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation an annual fee for maintaining dams and the cost of constructing the canal system a half-century ago.

Dan Wallen, who farms near McCook and is a former Nebraska Game and Parks commissioner, criticized the district for trading water for dollars.

"Rather than reduce spending, (the irrigation district) just wants to increase revenue. I think the sole reason is they need money to pay the help. They won't reduce staff," he said.

Patterson said staff has been reduced by four employees, leaving eight in the field to maintain 150 miles of canals and 122 miles of buried pipe. Patterson said the district needs at least 10 field workers when all of the district's canals are carrying water.

The district will have to release 22 inches out of the lake for farmers to receive 8 inches, Schaffert said.

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