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To: John Lawson, Chairman, Water Management Committee <br />rFrom: Mike Purcell <br />Date: September 10, 2002 <br />Subject: Wyoming Comments on USFWS Instream Flow Recommendations: <br />Proposed Definitions and Usage for the Platte River Recovery <br />Implementation Program -June 26, 2002 Draft <br />The following comments are offered in an effort to clarify the subject document and <br />should not be considered an endorsement of the USFWS's Instream Flow <br />Recommendations. Wyoming has and will continue to object to these instream flow <br />recommendations. However, we appreciate the clarifications offered by the USFWS in <br />this document as to how the recommendations will be applied to the Program and future <br />Section 7 consultations. Wyoming supports including a modified version of the subject <br />document as a component of the Program Water Plan. <br />I . Background- Modify the first paragraph to read as follows: <br />"The purpose of this document is to define the terminology used by the U.S. Fish and <br />Wildlife Service (Service) in its instream flow recommendations and to describe how the <br />Service will apply those recommendations during the implementation of the Platte River <br />Recovery Implementation Program (Program) and future Section 7 consultations." <br />2. The first sentence under "Annual Pulse Flows" is incomplete. <br />3. Peak Flows Table <br />a. Clarify that (5 year) and (2.5 year) means the average 5 year and 2.5 year <br />peak flows. <br />b. Under notes, it is difficult to understand what "greater than 50% <br />occurrence" means, please clarify. <br />4. First paragraph under the Peak Flows Table- Change the second sentence to read <br />as follows: "The Program will not is not ipAe d +^ create nor augment flows of this <br />magnitude." <br />5. Table under Item 3. Summarizing the application of the instream flow <br />recommendations: <br />a. Item 4. Revise the descriptor as follows: "(4) FWS/GG <br />consideration/approval....." These are FWS recommendations. Other members of the <br />GC are not bound by them. There may be debate regarding the application of peak flows <br />is in the deliberations regarding new projects. <br />