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D. Study Approach <br />The Technical Committee is developing the framework for habitat and <br />species monitoring and research as well as a peer review process for <br />scientific studies. The Land Committee is developing guidelines for <br />land habitat management, leasing, and acquisition to determine ways <br />to accomplish the habitat goals. The Water Management Committee <br />(WMC) is coordinating and overseeing the basinwide study of <br />potential water conservation and supply projects conducted by the <br />study team. The WMC is coordinating each state's means to track new <br />water depletions or accretions to ensure mitigation of impacts from <br />new water diversions and proper crediting for water conservation. The <br />WMC will also establish monitoring programs and protocols for <br />verifying that water conservation/supply projects have the intended <br />effects on instream flows. <br />The Water Conservation/Supply Reconnaissance Study is intended to <br />identify and evaluate potential water conservation and supply projects <br />that can contribute to providing an additional 60,000 to 80,000 ac -ft/yr <br />in average reductions to target flows shortages. The study and report <br />has been organized in the following manner: <br />• Identify a long list of water conservation and supply alternatives <br />for the three regions in the Platte River study area. <br />• Conduct an initial screening of the long list of alternatives to <br />identify any potential fatal flaws associated with an alternative and <br />defer those alternatives from further evaluation at this time. The <br />screening criteria include physical, legal and institutional, <br />economic, social, and environmental issues. <br />• Develop a short list of alternatives based on the initial screening, <br />which consists only of alternatives that were not screened out as <br />part of the initial screening process. <br />• Identify specific and/or representative projects of the short- listed <br />alternatives. <br />• Determine the local net hydrologic effects from a specified project. <br />• Develop a water budget spreadsheet to assist in determining effects <br />on streamflows downstream of a specified project and the <br />associated reductions to target flow shortages at the critical habitat. <br />2 -4 <br />