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surface water rights along these streams' may disagree with the concept of net stream flow as a measure of depletion ani:! resulting impact, particularly as water reuse increases and during times of drou~ht. Due to the complexity of the basin, the water use concept of net stream flow to determine impact and mitigation of impacts needs further open and thoughtful discussion as well as improved data, integrated modeling, and development of a decision support system. A third area of public water policy is how to properly implement and fund the Platte River Cooperative Agreement. ! Implementation of the Cooperative Agreement is critical to the ability of Colorado water users to utilize a portion of the remaining developable flows of the Sputh Platte River to support population growth. The Cooperative Agreement Serves as a reasonable and prudent alternative for mitigation of impacts for existing water projects and new water development which, when complied with,: provides a level of regulatory certainty with regard to the application of the Endangered Species Act. Sufficient long term funding of the Platte! River Cooperative Agreement is a key component to implement the agreement. i The Legislative Interim Committee on Water and Land Resources has endorsed legislation (HB 98-1006) that would possibly provide a funding source. The legislature is considering the bill at the time of this writing. The fourth area of public water policy is the role of the State of Colorado, in particular its water resources agencies, in facilitating water planning for the South Platte River Basin. It is evident from the Metropolitan Water Supply Investigation Study and this study that considerable i information has been developed, and communication among water providers arjd users has been improved. It appears that, if additional time and resources are made available, that these studies would provide the foundation for additional studies to assist water users in meeting population growth needs while dealing with the many complex issues identified in this report. III. Recommendations 1. Proceed with the development of a South Platte River Decision Support System as soon as the resources become available, but not later than 1999. 2. Proceed with prioritizing studies and investigations through working cooperatively and in partnership with the peer review groups a8d the water community to obtain data and further refine and improve the Denver Basin Groundwater Model as the resources become available. The following studies and investigatibns were identified and recommended by the peer review groundwater group: i More accurate definition of streambed conductance factors Annual stream gain-loss measurements Monthly bedrock water-level measurElments -4-' I I I I I I I , I I ,I , I I, ,I I I I I