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their conservation and recovery through a basinwide cooperative approach agreed to by <br />the three states and the Department; <br />to provide ESA compliance for existing and new water - related activities in the Platte <br />River Basin; <br />to help prevent the need to list more basin - associated species pursuant to the ESA; <br />to mitigate new water - related activities in a manner that will not increase the <br />responsibilities of other signatory states, as set forth in the New Depletions Plans of the <br />individual states; to establish and maintain an organizational structure that will ensure <br />appropriate state government and stakeholder involvement in the implementation of the <br />recovery program. <br />Key elements of the proposed recovery program for the first increment, as set forth in the <br />Cooperative Agreement, are: <br />improve flows in the central Platte through reducing shortages to the Service's target <br />flows by 130,000 to 150,000 acre feet. This will be achieved by: <br />(1) Development of three water regulation projects -- the Tamarack groundwater recharge <br />project in Colorado; (2) Modification to Pathfinder Dam in Wyoming; and (3) an <br />"environmental account" in Lake McConaughy in Nebraska, which are anticipated to <br />provide approximately 80,000 acre -feet. <br />implementation of a Water Action Plan to provide the additional water. This Plan, <br />developed collaboratively with the States, water users, Federal agencies and conservation <br />organizations, focuses on incentive-based water supply and conservation measures. <br />acquire 10,000 acres of suitable habitat from willing participants between Lexington and <br />Chapman, Nebraska. This includes Nebraska Public Power District's 2600 acre <br />Cottonwood Ranch. (Note that many of the details concerning the acquisition and <br />management of habitat have been and are being worked out with the Governance <br />Committee's Land Subcommittee, whose members include many local landowners. For <br />example, they have helped the Governance Committee develop policies concerning tax <br />2 <br />