SouthPlatteComments06

• Basin: South Platte
• Title: Comments 6
• Date: 11/3/2003
• SWSI - Doc Type: Comments

Comments to SWSI, November 3,2003, by John Wiener

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operation of some lands as seed..farms to assure avaHabifity of the best varieties and mixes of
cover vegetation for times when rangelands are put into reserve, irrigated and dry-land farming
acres are not cropped} and so forth. The public has an interest in helping fandowners avoid
erosion, maintain fertility, and provide open space and environmental benefits, while retaining the
abiljty to return to farming as desired. The Central Plains Irrigation Association is a terrific
provider of assistance and information for improving uses of farmland with irrigation technology;
this is the flip side of that research and extens;on~

Another research task is helping direct the in-stream flow program and the possibfe loans and
donations to it, for the benefit of environmental buffers and benefits during hard times. The
ewes could administer a small but valuabre effort to help identify places and kinds of resources
most Itneedy't or "worthyU of water charlty, going beyond just identifying dry reaches where that is
appropriate. The advance identification of problem areas could help ward off the kinds of trouble
that result from both the crossing of envjronmental thresholds, and the public concerns that arise
from that. It might even be possible to develop intergovernmental agreements with USDA and its
agencies to apply drought relief funding and emergency appropriations to helping support such
planning, and then to paying landowners for these services and qualities of land use, or perhaps
options to use the land as needed. This could consolidate many of the various reserve programs
and wetlands programs (and wetlands banking) in a form that might achieve some streamlinjng
and clarity wl1ich could alleviate the administrative nightmares for the state and federal agencies.
(Could, jf that were a specific goal and research request, I think..~)

In summary on the drought history, jf Henz's predictions are not to be dismissed, in my opinion,
and the practical impUcations are about the same as those from the climate impacts Uterature.

The climate impacts concerns

Here is a selection of forecasts from the climate impacts assessment literature, relevant to the
SWSf considerations: the most complete collection is in the USGCRP Overview of CUmate
Chanae Imoacts on the United States: The Potentiar ConseQuences of Climate Variabilitv. These
are typical of the range of assessments work, and aU are subject to the concerns noted above.
Each assessment also provides information about the relative level of confidence in the foreGasts~

. Lower and earlier-melting snowpacks, particularly in Western snowmelt.dominated basins,
greater percent of winter precipitation as rain. What are the implications for reservoir-based
systems? For new development? For the smaU versus large systems?

. Increased saUnity could resuft from lower average streamflowst and perhaps especially rower
flows during already dry late summer periods.

. Soil moisture likely to decrease with increasing temperature and thus increasing ET1 perhaps
even with increased total precipitation. Note: area to East, lI'ee" of Rockiest forecast by
models selected to provide contrasting outputs (Hadley and CeM) to experience reduced
precipitation as well as warmer temperatures~ This is ominous, since there are few regional
forecasts so wjdely agreed-upon by different models.

. The decreasing soU moisture problem may also mean decreasing groundwater recharge to
aquifers which are not already non..renewable resources, and may indirectly affect surface
flows which are alluvialJy extensive~ Threat to groundwater users? Opportunity for benefit
from need for more recharge by intentional acts (ponds, injection, up-stream flow
management)? Public interest in buying return flows from junior water rights?