BOARD00498

• Board Meeting Date: 3/10/1998
• Description: South Platte River Basin Issues - Endangered Species Issues - 3 State MOU Implementation - Status Report
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

Together, these four species are the "target species" for the partnership.

TIle waters of the Platte River:~erve the people ofWyorning, Colorado and

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Nebraska in many ways. Federal and non-Federal water projects in the Platte River
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Basin, including 15 major dams, provide municipal and industrial water supplies for
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about 3.5 million people, irrigate milllons of acres of farmland, and generate millions of
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dollars in hydroelectric power. These projects also pro~ide flood control, recreation, and
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fish and wildlife habitat.

The Service has concluded tha~ suitable habitat in the Central Platte region for the

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target species has been Significantly reduced by water diversions and other factors, such

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as highway and bridge construction an~ other changes in land use that have come with

eA1ensive settlement throughout the Pl!itte River Basin. Under the ESA, Federal agencies

must ensUIe that the water projects whfch they operate or for which they provide Federal
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permits or funds are not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of any threatened or
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endangered species or to adversely ma?ify critical habitat. If a project is likely to cause
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these adverse impacts, its operation m~ be modified or other measures undertaken to
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protect the species. '

Many water projects in the Pla~e River Basin are now or soon will be undergoing
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a review oftheiI impacts on endangere4 species. These projects include Reclamation's

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North Platte Projects in Wyoming and western Nebraska and the Colorado Big

Thompson Project in Colorado; the Corps of Engineers , reservoirs in the Denver area;
and a large number of non-Federal wa~r storage and diversion projects, primarily in
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Colorado, which require renewal ofperinits from the U.S. Forest Service. Also included

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