The North Platte Project (originally the Sweetwater Project) is an irrigation project in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

s of

Wyoming Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...

and

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

. The project provides irrigation service to about . The primary water storage for the project is in

Pathfinder Reservoir Pathfinder Reservoir is located in the U.S. state of Wyoming on the North Platte River between Casper and Rawlins. It sits 47 miles (76 km) southwest of Casper, in Carbon County and Natrona County. The reservoir was created by Pathfinder ...

in Wyoming. Downstream,

Guernsey Dam Guernsey Dam is an earthfill dam on the North Platte River in Platte County in the U.S. State of Wyoming. The dam creates Guernsey Reservoir, the last of the 5 major reservoirs on the North Platte River in Wyoming. The dam contains a hydroelectri ...

manages river flow and provides secondary storage for water released from Pathfinder. Near

Fort Laramie Fort Laramie (founded as Fort William and known for a while as Fort John) was a significant 19th-century trading-post, diplomatic site, and military installation located at the confluence of the Laramie and the North Platte rivers. They joined ...

the Whalen Diversion Dam diverts water into Fort Laramie Canal and Interstate Canal which distribute water to farms in Wyoming and Nebraska.

History

Surveys for the project began shortly after the

Reclamation Act The Reclamation Act (also known as the Lowlands Reclamation Act or National Reclamation Act) of 1902 () is a United States federal law that funded irrigation projects for the arid lands of 20 states in the American West. The act at first covere ...

was enacted in 1902. The project was approved by the Department of the Interior in 1903, and work began on

Pathfinder Dam Pathfinder Dam is a masonry dam, located on the North Platte River, approximately southwest of Casper, Wyoming. It was originally constructed from 1905 to 1909 as part of the North Platte Project and has been modified several times since then. ...

and Interstate Canal in 1905. Guernsey Dam was completed in 1927. In July 2019 a tunnel along the Fort Laramie Canal collapsed, causing Nebraska and Wyoming to declare states of emergency due to lost water.

Facilities

and Guernsey Powerplant * Whalen Diversion Dam * Interstate Canal * Fort Laramie Canal

References

* {{Authority control Buildings and structures in Wyoming Buildings and structures in Nebraska United States Bureau of Reclamation