The U.S. Supreme Court case State of Nebraska v. States of Wyoming and Colorado, 1992, was a dispute over the allocation of water from the North Platte River among these three states. The issue arose when Nebraska accused Wyoming and Colorado of violating an earlier decree that set limits on how much water each state could use from this river system annually. After reviewing evidence presented by all parties involved, including data about changes in irrigation practices and climate conditions since the original decree was issued in 1945, the court ruled largely in favor of Wyoming and Colorado. It found that neither state had significantly breached their obligations under previous agreements or caused harm to Nebraska's interests through their water usage patterns.

In the dissenting opinion for the case of State of Nebraska v. States of Wyoming and Colorado, Justice Blackmun argued that the majority's decision was inconsistent with previous rulings regarding equitable apportionment. He believed that this inconsistency would lead to confusion in future cases involving interstate water disputes. Furthermore, he disagreed with how the majority calculated Nebraska's injury from Wyoming and Colorado’s use of North Platte River water, arguing it underestimated harm done to Nebraska farmers who relied on irrigation from these waters. He also criticized their failure to consider potential conservation measures by upstream users as a way to mitigate downstream injuries without causing significant hardship or economic loss for either party involved in dispute.