Volume I Biological Opinion

• Description: related to the Platte River Endangered Species Partnership ‎(aka Platte River Recovery Implementation Program or PRRIP)‎
• State: NE
• Date: 7/1/1997
• Author: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Grand Island, Nebraska
• Title: Volume 1 - Biological Opinoin On the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's Preferred Alternative for the Kingsley Dam Project ‎(No. 1417)‎ and North Platte/Keystone Dam Project ‎(No. 1835)‎
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Biological Opinion

LIST OF TABLES
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Table 1. Overton baseflow (cfs) for the Commission's tion. 19
ro osed ac '
p p
Table 2a. Instream flow targets by seasonal priorities (ranking) for normal,
wet, and dry years for the central Platte River, Nebraska. . . . . . . . . 37
Table 2b.
Pulse
flow recommendation for the central Platte River valley
ecosystem
during
May and June. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
38
Table 2c.
Pulse
flow recommendation for the central Platte River valley
ecosystem
during
February and March. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
39
Table 3.
Average
monthly flow changes (af) resulting from the Commission's
proposed action .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
75
Table 4.
Effect
of the proposed action on flows during whooping crane
migration
periods
and effects on whooping crane habitat. . . . . . . . . .
81
Table 5. Effects of proposed action on late winter /spring pulse flows at
Grand Island relative to the environmental baseline; and the associated
average increase in depth to groundwater in wet meadow habitat at Mormon
Island Crane Meadows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Table 6. Effects of the proposed action on least terns and piping plovers
during the nest initiation period relative to the environmental baseline. . 86
Table 7a. Effects of the proposed action on Platte River fish community flows
(1942 -1988) relative to the environmental baseline and percent of time fish
community target flows are met . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . 89
Table 7b. Number of zero flow months and percent of optimum habitat for the
central Platte River fish community. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Table 8. Number and percentage of years flows reduced and the average change
in flow during February through July for present conditions and the proposed
action relative to the environmental baseline (1943 to 1988) . . . . . . . . 97
Table 9. Required average /minimum Central Diversions in cfs. . . . . . . 109
Table 10. Comparison of proposed action and the RPA to environmental baseline
and present conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
iv