PRRIP: Colorado's Depletions Plan

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E. Monitoring and Reporting. During the first increment, Colorado does not foresee any: projected increases in: 1) irrigated acreage in Jackson County over 134,467 acres; 2) population over the 2022 person "population baseline"; or 3) significant non-nexus piscatorial, wildlife, or other environmental uses (which are not incidental to irrigation uses). Similar projections will be made at the beginning of each subsequent reporting period. At the end of the first reporting period, and at the end of each subsequent reporting period, Colorado will report to the Governance Committee: the irrigated acreage, irrigation storage, transbasin diversions, and population in Jackson County. Colorado will also report on any non-nexus piscatorial, wildlife, and other environmental uses (which are not incidental to irrigation uses) and any new industrial uses occurring since 1997. These South Platte River Basin derived assumptions probably signiftcantly overstate actual M&I water use in Jackson County. The gross M&I consumptive use assumption of .27 acre-feet per year is probably high because lawn irrigation is less prevalent in Jackson County than in the South Platte River Basin. The actual monthly distribution of the depletive effects associated with M&I use in Jackson County is probably different than that of the South Platte Basin, since Jackson County's higher elevation and shorter, cooler summers limit lawn irrigation to a shorter time period than occurs in the South Platte Basin. Thus, M&I uses in Jackson County are likcly to produce fewer depletions during the months of shortage to target flows at Grand Island in comparison with M&I uses in the South Platte Basin. However, in the absences of specific data, Colorado agrees to apply South Platte Basin assumptions to M&I use in Jackson County as of July of the year that begins the increment (e.g., July 2003, July 2008 etc.). If any new industrial uses occur beyond the 19971evel, or if the population appears that it will exceed the population baseline of 2022 people, or there are significant non-nexus piscatorial, wildlife, or environmental uses that are not incidental to irrigation uses, these would be considered new water related activities. New water related activities will be replaced on a one-to-one basis in the North Platte basin, if necessary, after consideration of timing and location and shortages to U.S. Fish and Wildlife target flows in Nebraska, in a manner consistent with the Decree. F. ESA Compliance. Colorado commits to offset the net cumulative effects of depletions associated with new water related activities in the manner described within this depletion plan. It is the intent of Colorado that new depletions will be offset in accordance with Section I.A.4 and Section III.E.3 of the Program Document and this depletion plan. Because it is unlikely that new depletions will occur in the First Increment, Colorado will not propose a specific plan for mitigation at this time. ESA compliance for North Platte Basin future depletions in Colorado will conform to the Program Document. October 24, 2006 Colo; ado Depletiotts Plarr