Identification and Evaluation of Potential Thrid Party Impacts Related to the Habitat Component of the Proposed Platte River Recovery

• Description: PRRIP
• State: CO
• State: NE
• State: WY
• Basin: South Platte
• Water Division: 1
• Date: 6/13/2000
• Author: Hazen and Sawyer Environmental Engineers & Scientists
• Title: Identification and Evaluation of Potential Third Party Impacts Related to the Habitat Component of the Proposed Platte River Recovery Implementation Plan Final Report
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

1.0 Introduction
1.0 Introduction
The purpose of this Final Report is to present the potential third party impacts associated with the
Habitat Component of the First Increment of the proposed Platte River Recovery Implementation
Program (herein referred to as "Program "). The goal of the Program is to protect habitat for
targeted species in and along the Platte River from Lexington to Chapman, Nebraska while
minimizing the expected adverse third party impacts to landowners and residents. The Program
will focus on improving and maintaining migration habitat for whooping cranes and reproductive
habitat for least terns and piping plovers. It will strive to achieve the habitat goal through
acquisition, restoration and management of land and/or land interests along an 89 -mile stretch of
the Platte River in central Nebraska.
The milestones and exact structure of the Habitat Component have yet to be defined by the
Governance Committee (GC) and the Land Committee (LC) and this study is designed to
provide input which will minimize or avoid potential negative impacts. Therefore, the results
presented in this report provide an estimate of the range of potential impacts and not the
specific impacts that would occur when the proposed Program is implemented.
The Scope of Work developed for this study was the result of five scoping meetings of the Third
Party Impact subcommittee facilitated by Hazen and Sawyer and attended by members of the
Land Committee, the Third Party Impact Subcommittee, the Governance Committee and the
Executive Director of the Platte River Implementation Program. This Final Report follows the
guidelines developed in the Phase H Statement of Work dated June 9, 1999.
In addition to this report, Hazen and Sawyer completed a Draft Report in November, 1999 and a
Final Draft Report on January 31, 2000. On both reports, Hazen and Sawyer asked for
comments from members of the Third Party Impact Subcommittee, the Land Committee, the
Governance Committee as well as the general public. The previous reports have also been
reviewed by economists at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln and the U.S. Bureau of
Reclamation in Denver. The results provided in this Final Report reflect the comments received
on the earlier drafts.
1.1 Platte River Recovery Implementation Program
The states of Nebraska, Wyoming, and Colorado, and the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI)
have entered into a partnership (Cooperative Agreement) to address endangered species issues
affecting the Platte River Basin..The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has identified four
target species that require protection including: whooping crane, piping plover, interior least tern
and the pallid sturgeon. The Cooperative Agreement guides the efforts of the three states and the
Federal government and describes the proposed plan to protect targeted species.' The
Cooperative Agreement for Platte River Research and Other Efforts Relating to Endangered Species Habitats Along
the Central Plane River, Nebraska, signed July 1, 1997, by the Governors of Wyoming, Colorado. and Nebraska, and
the Secretary of the Interior.
Hwd.40210R010.doc 1 -1 Third Parry Impact Study
Final Report