Agenda Item: Endangered Species Cooperative Agreement

• File Number: 8461.100
• Description: Adaptive Management Workgroup
• State: CO
• Basin: South Platte
• Water Division: 1
• Date: 7/29/2003
• Author: Rick Brown, Randy Seaholm
• Title: Agenda Item: Endangered Species Cooperative Agreement
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Board Memo

STATE OF COLORADO
Colorado Water C nservation Board
Department of Nataral R sources
1313 Sherman Street, Room 721
Denver, Colorado 80203
Ph
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www. cwcb. state. co.us
MEMORANDUM Bi11 owens
Governor
To: Colorado Wa er Conservation Board Greg E. Walcher
Executive Director
From: Rick Brown, roject Manger, Interstate Streams Investigation RodKuharich
Randy Seaho m, Chief, Interstate Streams Investigation CWCB D'uector
Dan McAuliffe
Date: July 29, 2003 Deputy Director
Subject: Agenda Ite 17, July 28-29, 2003 Board Meeting,
Platte River ndangered Species Cooperative Agreement.
1. Introduction
In 1997 the Governors of th states of Colorado, Nebraska and Wyoming signed an agreement with
the Department of Interior t improve and/or study the habitat of four endangered species in the
Central Platte River in Nebr ska. The Cooperative Agreement was extended through June 30, 2003
to allow additional time to f rmulate a proposed program. The proposed program has three
components: water, land, an monitoring and research. This memorandum will highlight some of
the key issues under discussi n at the present.
II. Status of Cooperatite Agreement Activities
The Cooperative Agreement (CA) negotiations have become increasingly difficult due to changes in
some of the program elemen s and Nebraska's rigid negotiation positions. These two factors
resulted in Colorado taking "break from the negotiations" at the May 27, 2003 Governance
Committee workshop; with plan to resume discussions in July. Colorado elected to leave the
meeting because we felt that the negotiation process had become ineffective, and changes in the
program direction since 199 appear to ignore some of Colorado's key needs.
During the break Colorado eet with several of our water users to evaluate the issues and to identify
key Colorado concerns. Aft r developing and analyzing the concerns, and discussing some of the
pro's and cons associated wi h a Platte River Endangered Species Program, we agreed that if at all
possible we should stay with the three state agreement approach but only if the negotiation process
becomes more productive an accommodates our key concerns.
Following our internal meeti gs, some of our team meet with the United States Fish and Wildlife
Service (Service), Enviromm ntal Representatives, and Wyoming and Nebraska. The purpose of the
meetings was to outline our oncerns and to see if the issues could be addressed. This was an
Flood Prote¢tion • Water Supply Planning and Finance • Stream and Lake Protection
Vf ?ater Supply Protection • Conservation and Drought Planning