For the first time in several years, the Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District's board of directors heard somewhat optimistic projections about how much water will flow into Lake McConaughy in coming months.

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Cory Steinke, civil engineer in Central's Holdrege headquarters, told the directors Monday at a regular board meeting that projections for inflows at Lake McConaughy are the highest since 2001, even though inflows are expected to remain below the historic median of 913,000 acre-feet.

Steinke said the peak water level next spring will be nearly 3,250 feet above sea level, a level not seen since 2000, which the first of seven years of drought in western Nebraska.

"These projections might be too optimistic," Steinke said, "but that's where the signs are pointing."

Flows in the South Platte River have been consistent this fall and will likely receive a boost from recent snowfall in Colorado. That is the "wildcard" in the equation, Steinke said.

His projections for South Platte flows are lower than the historic average, but much higher than in recent years.

"If the South Platte continues to carry flows near what we've seen recently -- and indications are that there's a good chance of that happening -- we can store all North Platte River flows in Lake McConaughy for most of the winter," he said.

He added that current storage conditions at several off-stream reservoirs along the South Platte River in Colorado are a promising indication for continued flows into Nebraska.

Central must provide certain flow levels in the Platte River during the winter months, a provision in its Federal Energy Regulatory Commission license to operate Kingsley Dam.

However, South Platte flows and gains to North Platte River between Lake McConaughy and the diversion dam east of North Platte have been high enough, so far, to meet the requirements without releases from Lake McConaughy.

There have been no releases from McConaughy for several weeks, while Central upgrades the Kingsley Hydroplant as well as a excavates a channel in Lake Ogallala below the dam. Also, the Nebraska Public Power District has been working on the head gates of the Keystone Canal at the east end of Lake Ogallala.

Lake McConaughy has risen about five feet since the end of irrigation season to an elevation of 3,233.4 feet as of Monday.

Steinke said there is the possibility of additional water for Lake McConaughy next spring if the North Platte River reservoirs in Wyoming near capacity. However, some long-term weather forecasts are calling for warmer and drier conditions in the Rocky Mountains this winter, which would result in reduced snowmelt runoff into the reservoirs.

If South Platte flows fall and higher North Platte River inflows do not materialize next spring, Steinke said, Lake McConaughy would likely peak somewhere near elevation 3,238.0, a volume of about 1.04 million acre-feet.