PRRIP Purposes and Overview Draft (2)

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2, providing ESA compliance2 for existing and new water related activities3 in the Platte River basin4; 3. helping prevent the need to list more basin associated species pursuant to the ESA; 4. mitigating the adverse impacts of new water related activities on (1) the occurrence of FWS target flows (as described in Section IlI. E.1. a.) and (2) the effectiveness of the Program in reducing shortages to those flows, such mitigation to occur in the manner and to the extent described in Section III.E.3. and in the approved depletions plans; and 5. establishing and maintaining an organizational structure that will ensure appropriate state and federal government and stakeholder involvement in the implementation of the Program. B. When doing so will not reduce resources available to target species, the Program will also manage Program lands to benefit non-target listed species and non-listed species of concern and to reduce the likelihood of future listing. When feasible, the Program will provide regulatory certainty with respect to those non-target, listed species. ` "ESA compliance" means: (1) serving as the reasonable and prudent alternative to offset the effects of water-related activities that FWS found were likely to cause jeopardy to one or more of the target species or to adversely modify critical habitat before the Program was in place; (2) providing offsetting measures to avoid the likelihood of jeopardy to one or more of the target species or adverse modification of the critical habitat in the Platte River basin for new or existing water-related activities evaluated under the ESA after the Program was in place; and (3) avoiding any prohibited take of target species in the Platte River basin. ' For purposes of this Program Document and its attachments, the term "water related activities" means activities and aspects of activities which (1) occur in the Platte River basin upstream of the confluence of the Loup River with the Platte River; and (2) may affect Platte River flow quantity or timing, including, but not limited to, water diversion, storage and use activities, and land use activities. Changes in temperature and sediment transport will be considered impacts of a"water related activity" to the extent that such changes are caused by activities affecting flow quantity or timing. Impacts of "water related activities" do not include those components of land use activities or discharges of pollutants that do not affect flow quantity or timing. "Existing water related activities" include surface water or hydrologically connected groundwater activities implemented on or before July 1, 1997. "New water related activities" include new surface water or hydrologically connected groundwater activities including both new projects and expansion of existing projects, both those subject to and not subject to section 7(a)(2) of the ESA, which may affect the quantity or timing of water reaching the associated habitats and which are implemented after July 1, 1997. Platte River basin includes the basins of the South, North, and Platte Rivers. $eptefber-November 4729 2005 Program Document 2 1