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in a manner that is not in conflict with the North Platte Decree is through the use <br />of piscatorial (fish) ponds. Piscatorial ponds could allow for stream <br />augmentation. <br />SWSI could help the town of Walden with its decision regarding a new storage <br />facility for which plans have already been developed. This could involve bringing <br />appropriate people to the Technical Roundtable meetings to discuss the viability <br />and need for the project. Meeting participants think the landowner who is <br />developing the storage and dam project is George Patterson. <br />Review population projections in the CWCB Fact Sheet ? they seem high. <br />The comments below recap the concerns, issues and questions that were raised at the <br />basin?s Public Information Meeting. These are general summaries of what was said, <br />grouped by key theme, and are not verbatim quotes from the participants. The <br />suggestions, comments and questions documented here will be incorporated into the SWSI <br />study process. This public input is greatly appreciated, as it will help guide the SWSI study <br />team as the process moves forward. The SWSI team will seek to answer any questions <br />raised at these meetings, and will include these answers as part of the SWSI final report. <br />The North Platte Decree strongly controls water in the basin: <br />± <br />There are limitations on water usage in the North Platte basin based on the North <br />Platte Decree. <br />± <br />With Wyoming, Nebraska and Colorado in the decree, it would require interstate <br />litigation to change any terms ? the basin may have more to lose than gain by <br />trying to change it. <br />± <br />We are going to be the ?easy? basin in the state for SWSI because of the North <br />Platte Decree ? everything about our water, from usage to storage, is governed by <br />the US Supreme Court decree. <br />± <br />Storage in piscatorial water could be outside the compact. If water was stored for <br />piscatorial purposes, it would not be counted under the compact. <br />± <br />This basin came close to diverting its water limit this last year. It?s the first time <br />it has happened since the decree. The reservoirs were drawing down a lot last <br />year because of the drought. <br />± <br />The fish ponds have water stored now. Development of all the recreational ponds <br />and development of storage outside the compact is a big opportunity. <br />± <br />This basin would have lost water over the mountain or to Fort Collins or other <br />places if there was no North Platte Decree. By decree, those places cannot take <br />this basin?s water. <br />± <br />The Decree limits the basin to 145,000 acres of irrigated land. <br />± <br />The Decree impacted this basin this year and limited the basin?s ability to use <br />water from the river. This is the first year since the decree that we came close to <br />using the decreed limit of 17,000 acre-feet of water. Moreover, 300 acre-feet <br />