Platte River Endangered Species Cooperative Agreement

• File Number: 8461.350
• Description: Legislation
• State: CO
• Basin: South Platte
• Water Division: 1
• Date: 11/20/2000
• Author: Rick Brown, Randy Seaholm
• Title: Platte River Endangered Species Cooperative Agreement
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Board Memo

STATE OF COLORADO
Colorado Water Conservation Boaxd
Department of Natural Resources
1313 Sherman Street, Room 721
Denver, Colorado 80203
Phone: [phone]
FAX: [phone]
www. cwcb. state. co. us
9
Bill Owens
Governor
Greg E. Walcher
MEMORANDIJM Executive Director
Dan McAuliffe
To: Colorado Water Conservation Board Acting Director
From: Rick Brown, Platte River Coordinator, Interstate Streams Investigation
Randy Seaholm, Chief, Interstate Streams Investigation
Date: November 20, 2000
Subject: Agenda Item 21.d., November 20-21, 2000 Board Meeting.
Platte River Endangered Species Cooperative Agreement.
I. Introduction
In 1997 the Governors of the states of Colorado, Nebraska and Wyoming signed an
agreement with the Department of Interior to improve and/or study the habitat of four
endangered species in the Central Platte River in Nebraska. The proposed program has
0,.1,;? three components: water, land, and monitoring and research. This memorandum will
highlight the status of the negotiations and summarize some of the key activities of several
of the Cooperative Agreement (CA) Committees.
II. Status of Negotiations
Negotiation of a long-term agreement has been put on hold pending completion of a
number of important tasks/milestones. A complete list of task/milestones is being
completed. In general the tasks/milestones are intended to identify and summarize
information, which the parties to the CA feel is critical to understand prior to negotiating a
long-term agreement. Examples of the type of information that will be gathered include: a
more detailed understanding of sediment concerns and options; a more clear understanding
of the future depletion plans for Nebraska and Wyoming especially in regard to
hydrologically connected ground and surface water; a more complete understanding of
baseline habitat conditions.
A draft CA extension document that details the current status of existing milestones, and
identifies new tasks and milestone was developed over the last few weeks. We anticipate a
CA extension through December 31, 2002. The Governor's and their staff have been
briefed in each of the states and to our knowledge no major issues have been raised.