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 8
Options for the North Platte Basin

move water from its source to treatment facilities and
distribution systems.

Thus, it is possible that a failure to implement the
Identified Projects and Processes would result in even
greater impacts to irrigated agriculture and the
economies dependent thereon. A range of potential
changes to irrigated acres was shown in Figure 5-5. The
lower end of the range reflects the assumption that all
Identified Projects and Processes, including additional
conservation, are successfully implemented. As noted,
not all of the reduction in irrigated acreage would be
available for transfer to meet M&I needs. To illustrate the
possible impacts of the uncertainty of the successful
implementation of Identified Projects and Processes.

Figure 8-2 shows the additional acres of irrigated farm
land that might be put out of irrigated production if 25 to
50 percent of the Identified Projects and Processes were
not successfully implemented. Agricultural transfers,
however, are also not without risk and uncertainty due to
the water court process, volume of storage required, and
local and federal permits needed for construction of
necessary facilities.

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Uncertainty in Identified Projects & Processes

Figure 8-2
Potential Impact on Irrigated Agricultural Acres if
Identified Projects & Processes are Not Implemented

S:\1177\BASIN REPORTS\NORTH PLATTElSB_NORTH PLATTE. DOC

Funding and permitting remain the primary challenges in
implementing water management solutions in Colorado.

8.3 Identified Projects and
Processes in the North Platte
Basin

The catalog of Identified Projects and Processes is
presented in this section. Table 8-1 provides a summary
of each basin's increased M&I and SSI demands, the
amount of that increase provided by the Identified
Projects and Processes, and the general locations of the
gap.

Figure 8-3 presents this information on a map of the
state. In many cases, the Identified Projects and
Processes have benefits for multiple users, such as
agriculture, recreation, and environmental needs.

A broad range of water management solutions with
varying levels of supply are planned for each of the
basins. Many water providers are pursuing multiple
projects and will need all of these identified projects to
meet their increased demand. This is due to the reality
that each of the Identified Projects and Processes has
risk associated with them and that they may not yield all
of the anticipated water supply. Many of these projects
and processes will benefit multiple beneficiaries and
therefore address a number of objectives concurrently.
However, challenges exist in determining funding
sources and acquiring water rights to support the multiple
uses. The following subsection provides a brief
description of the major Identified Projects and
Processes in the North Platte Basin. Details of each. A
discussion of environmental and recreational flow issues
is provided in Section 6.

CONI

8-3