Cooperative Agreement for Platte River Research and Other Efforts Relating to Endangered Species Habitats

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• objectives may be funded. The Governance Committee shall also consider the effects of the proposed water conservation/supply project on shortages in instream flows at the associated habitats and on the operation of other reregulation projects and water conservation/water supply projects: If adverse effects cannot be avoided, the Governance Committee may nevertheless include a conservation, reregulation or water supply activity in the Program if its adverse effects are offset, mitigated or compensated concurrently. b. OVMr on of Pro, g= Water Conservation/S=ly oiects. The operations of any Governance Committee- approved water conservation, reregulation or supply program will be coordinated with other activities in the Program through the Water Management Committee and, where applicable, through the Environmental Account Manager, to manage water stored for environmental purposes. Operation of reregulation projects will be coordinated with other Program reregulation projects through the planning process described in Paragraph M.D.l.b. It is an operational goal to coordinate upstream Program conservation activities so as to increase storage water in the Environmental Account for Storage Reservoirs on the Platte River System in Nebraska. It is • - recognized, however, that not all water conserved for environmental purposes will be storable in the Environmental Account, and that water need not be stored or storable to contribute toward Program objectives. Consistent with Paragraph VI.E, the Water Management Committee, with the approval of the Governance Committee, shall develop protocols for determining what quantities of water are to be credited to the Environmental Account and toward Program objectives. C. Verificati on. The Water Management Committee, with the approval of the Governance Committee, will establish monitoring . programs and protocols for verifying that water conservation/ supply projects have the intended effects on instream flows. DOI and the states intend that flow characteristics in the associated habitats which are determined by the process described in the Milestones for the Cooperative Agreement to be relevant shall be protected from adverse change. Any water dedicated to environmental use as a result of the three Program water projects and any new water conservation/supply projects must be protected to and through the associated habitats, subject to conveyance losses. Any impacts of Program water conservation/supply projects (including Program projects is addressing new depletions not mitigated under Appendix A, Tab 3B) on flow 11