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5 <br />other wildlife species in four habitat complexes totaling about 8,400 <br />acres along the central Platte River. In addition, the Districts would be <br />required to improve nesting habitat for least terns and piping plovers <br />through the development and maintenance of eight permanent riverine <br />nesting sites. The habitat complexes and nesting sites would be phased in <br />over a 15 -year period. <br />Other Measures: The Districts would be: a) prohibited from providing <br />water to meet new or expanded water service contracts that would have the <br />effect of increasing total acreage served by both projects; b) required to <br />develop and implement long -term plans for passing sediment at the Korty <br />and Central Diversion dams; and c) required to monitor the effectiveness <br />of the license conditions in protecting and enhancing fish and wildlife <br />resources and to assess the potential need for new or modified conditions. <br />Effects of the Proposed Action <br />In analyzing the effects of the proposed action, the Service used an <br />environmental baseline based on a hypothetical situation which used current <br />conditions but without the existence of the Projects (run of the river <br />conditions with no project storage). Consequently, only the environmental <br />effects specifically attributable to the two projects are considered in the <br />analysis. <br />Relative to the environmental baseline, the Commission's proposed action would <br />cause an average annual streamflow depletion of 285,200 of (20 percent) at <br />Grand Island, Nebraska. This flow depletion was evaluated against flow and <br />habitat requirements of the affected federally listed species. Whooping crane <br />habitat is adversely affected by channel narrowing and the reduction of wet <br />meadow feeding areas. Substantial direct and indirect adverse effects on the <br />breeding, nesting, and foraging habitat of least tern and piping plover occur. <br />Depleted flows would adversely affect the habitat and biological requirements <br />of pallid sturgeon. <br />' The proposed action would increase habitat /species instream flow shortages by <br />about 101,000 of per year compared to the environmental baseline, but would <br />' reduce instream flow shortages by about 35,000 of per year compared to present <br />conditions. <br />' Reasonable and Prudent Alternative (RPA) <br />The Service has determined that there is an RPA available for this project. <br />' The RPA was developed to avoid the likelihood of jeopardizing the continued <br />