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

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define any subsequent approaches and actions needed to meet the overall goals.

Additional description of the proposed Program can be obtained by contacting the

Plane River EIS Office at the address above,

Programmatic EIS
The impacts of the proposed Program and alternatives will be evaluated through a

PETS. This assessment will look at the effects of the proposed Program and alternatives

primarily upon the habitat of the four target threatened and endangered species along the

Central Platte River in Nebraska in order to assess the degree to which each alternative

achieves the program purposes. Other impacts of the alteroatives wiil be examined more

broadly. Once a preferred alteroative is selected for implementation, further NEP A

compliance may be required for site^specific Federal actions. For example, the PElS will

examine the effects of restoring the original storage in Pathfinder Reservoir upon the

,vater operations of Reclamation's North Platte reservoirs and the downstream effects

upon the habitat of the target species. Iftbis element is part of the ultimately selected
Program, an additional site-specific NEP A study would likely need to be undertaken to
assess, for example, the construction impacts of raising Pathfinder Dam. Similarly, it is
expected that the PElS will examine the benefits to the habitat of the target species from a
range of water conservation measures throughout the Platte River Basin, including the

costs of such measures and their broaQ. effects on factors such as water use, associated

revenues, and local ta;'{es. However, further NEP A compliance may be required prior to

implementing specific conservation measures in specific locations.

A Draft PElS is scheduled for completion by mid-I 999.
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