NorthPlatteBasinWaterSupplyandNeedsReport

• Basin Roundtable: North Platte
• Title: Water Supply & Needs Report for the North Platte Basin
• Date: 6/1/2006
• Author: CDM
• Basin Roundtables - Doc Type: Needs Assessment Documents

Section 6
Non-Consumptive Water Supply Needs
in the North Platte Basin

In addition to the projected increase in demand for water
to serve consumptive uses as described in Section 5,
demand for water to serve environmental and
recreational needs is expected to increase as well.
Recreational and environmental water needs are
generally in-channel flow-based and non-consumptive.
This section provides a synopsis of the input received
during the SWSI process from environmental and
recreational interest groups as a possible starting point
for defining environmental and recreational flow goals.

6.1 Concepts for Environmental

Flow Management

While flow enhancement for environmental and
recreational uses was identified by many SWSI
participants as being important, few Identified Projects
and Processes, aside from river compact deliveries and
the CWCB's instream flow program, directly address flow
enhancements beyond statutory legal requirements.

One concept for environmental and recreational flow
management brought forth by environmental and
recreational interest group representatives in SWSI was
the "Conserve, Protect, and Restore" (CPR) approach.
The "Conserve" component is centered on keeping
currently "healthy" - both in terms of quality and quantity
- rivers healthy. The "Protect" component suggested by
the interest groups includes keeping threatened but
currently healthy reaches whole, or as close to whole as
possible. The "Restore" component suggested by the
interest group representatives revolves around
restoration of dry, low-flow, or low-quality segments.
Project re-operations and ditch lining are two possible
strategies that could be employed.

Environmental and recreational interest groups
suggested that in characterizing environmental water
needs, a two-step approach could be implemented:

. Identify and locate critical water-dependent species
and natural systems

. Assess the environmental demands (or ecological
flow needs) of those systems

S:\1177\Basin Reports\North Platte\S6_North Platte.doc

Key sources for information for water-dependent species
and systems might include:

. CDOW
. Colorado Natural Heritage Program (CNHP)
. Colorado Water Trust
. The Nature Conservancy Ecoregional Plans
. Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Programs

It was also suggested that a model could be developed
to determine environmental or instream needs of these
communities by identifying integral components of the
flow regime such as:

. Base flows
. Normal high flows
. Drought and flood conditions
. Interannual variability

6.2. Recreational and
Environmental Information

No CWCB instream flow rights have been decreed on
the North Platte River. Decreed rights on tributaries in
the basin can be found at http://cwcb.state.co.us/isf/
Downloads/lndex.htm.

There are no reaches in the North Platte Basin in
Colorado that are listed for rafting use by American
Whitewater.

The North Platte River from the Routt National Forest
boundary downstream to the Colorado-Wyoming line
(5.3 miles) has received Gold Medal designation. The
predominant fish in the North Platte River are brown trout
and rainbow trout

One of the three lakes in the Delaney Butte Lakes State
Wildlife Area, North Delaney Butte Lake, is an extremely
productive lake that grows trophy brown trout, and has
received Gold Medal designation. This wildlife area is
located about 10 miles west of Walden.

CONI

6-1

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NATURAL
RESOURCES