Memo to Platte River Team

• File Number: 8461.350
• Description: Legislation
• State: CO
• Basin: South Platte
• Water Division: 1
• Date: 4/16/2007
• Author: Ted Kowalski
• Title: Memo to Platte River Team
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Board Memo

STATE OF COLORADO
Colorado Water Conservation Board
Department of Natural Resources
1313 Sherman Street, Room 721
Denver, Colorado 80203
Phone: [phone]=141
FAX: (303) 866=?74
wvvw.cwcb.stale.co.us
MEMORANDUM
To: Platte River Team
From: Ted Kowalski
Date: April 16, 2007
Bill Ritter, Jr.
Governor
Han-is D. Sherman
Executive Director
Rod Kuharich
CWCB Director
Dan McAuliffe
Depury Director
In the fall of 2006, Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado, and the Secretary of the Interior signed the Platte
River Endangered Species Recovery Implementation Program Agreement. State officials, water
users, conservation groups, and the Department of Interior have been negotiating details of the
Program since 1997 through a Cooperative Agreement signed by the three Governors and the
Department of Interior. The Agreement's goals are to protect the ability of the States to use water
and develop water while recovering threatened and endangered species located in Nebraska. The
target species are three birds (the endangered whooping crane, the endangered interior least tern, and
the threatened piping plover) and a fish (the endangered pallid sturgeon).
The Program is expected to cost approximately $316 million (in 2005 dollars) over thirteen years.
This money will be used for purchasing important habitat in Nebraska, providing water to meet
target flows, and to implement an adaptive management plan and integrated monitoring and research
plan. The States and the federal government will split the costs of the Program 50%-50%.
Colorado's costs include money ($24 million in 2005 dollars) and water. Incidentally, Colorado
received credit for $40 million for Colorado's water obligations. Colorado's water obligations are as
follows: 1) Tamarack I, which shall consist of 10,000 acre-feet of water, on average, retimed from
times of surplus at the target area to times of deficit at the target area; 2) Tamarack II, which shall
consist of retiming water from periods of net accretions due to effects from new water depletions to
periods of net depletions (new depletions are defined as depletions after July 1, 1997); and, 3)
Tamarack III (which may occur in Colorado or another State, and which shall be paid by the
Program funds). There may be some other costs associated with the Program such as employee
costs, costs associated with having an employee at the Tamarack State Wildlife Area, just to name a
couple.
It is important to note that Colorado has entered an MOU with the South Platte Water Related
Activities Program, Inc. ("SPWRAP"). This MOU sets forth procedures and methods by which the
State and SPWRAP will satisfy responsibilities. In particular, the MOU establishes that the State
will seek the necessary dollars from the General Assembly to meet Colorado's obligations, but will
notify SPWRAP if it will be unable to meet all of the costs of the Program. SPWRAP will act as a
backstop if the State is unable to pay all of the Program costs. The MOU between SPWRAP and the
State sets up an operating committee. This committee will try to operate by consensus in order to
Flood ProtecHon • Water Supply Planning and Finance • Stream and Lake ProtecHon
Water Supply Protection • ConservaHon and Drought Planning