From the Associated Press via the Bloomberg News:
The Central Platte Natural Resources District said it is nearly done with a plan to buy water rights for the Six Mile Canal near Gothenburg. The canal is being filled in with dirt and retired after 116 years of use. The canal’s closing will help Nebraska comply with a three-state agreement to improve wildlife habitat along the Platte. The project is expected to return an average of 2,377 acre-feet of water to the Platte River annually…
More than 30 land owners agreed to sell their rights to water from the canal and convert their farming operations over to groundwater irrigation. The farmers will benefit by being able to use modern irrigation technology to manage how much water they use…
The agreement requires the Central Platte Natural Resources District to restore about 3,400 acre-feet of water to the Platte River annually. After closing this canal, the Central Platte NRD will be returning about 3,000 acre-feet of water to the Platte.
More endangered/threatened species coverage here.