LINCOLN, Neb. (KMTV) — Gov. Pete Ricketts pitched the legislature on his $500 million canal project, saying future generations will judge how we secure our water.
Due to a compact from the 1920s, a canal would need to be built from Colorado to western Nebraska, in order to give Nebraska more water than it currently receives.
Ricketts says the half-billion-dollar cost is worth it, when water is the state's greatest natural resource.
"The cost of not doing this is way greater because it's going to be putting the future prosperity of the state at risk,” said Ricketts.
A court fight could loom if approved.
Colorado's governor says he's seeking to understand what Nebraska is trying to do, and said he will continue to aggressively assert Colorado's water rights.
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