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<br />members expressed concern over the proposed amendments and asked <br />that this concern be conveyed to members of Congress. He <br />reported further that he had contacted members of our ~ <br />Congressional delegation and Senator Wallop of Wyoming to relay <br />the Board's concern. During these conversations, Mr. McDonald <br />was informed that both House and Senate Bills were still being <br />considered by the respective Committees and some lanquage changes <br />had been proposed. Information received from members of our <br />Congressional delegation indicated that no action was expected <br />this year on the proposed amendments. <br /> <br />Agenda item 13 - Jeopardy Biological Opinion Narrows Unit <br /> <br />Chairman Vandemoer called on Mr. McDonald to discuss this <br />item. Mr. McDonald reported that the subject of this item was <br />described in his October 25, 1983 memorandum to Board members. <br />(See Appendix H attached.) <br /> <br />Consideration of this subject eminated from a jeopardy <br />biological opinion issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service <br />(FWS) in January 1983 which described the impact of the Narrows <br />Unit on the whooping crane. In its opinion the FWS recommended a <br />mitigation plan which called for a portion of the water to be <br />developed by the Narrows Reservoir to be dedicated to providing <br />supplemental flows for roosting habitat and channel maintenance <br />in a 53 mile reach of the Platte River between Lexington and <br />Shelton, Nebraska. The recommended average flows to be released <br />from the Narrows Reservoir to satisfy these alleged needs were <br />estimated at 32,000 acre-feet per year at the critical habitat ~ <br />area in Nebraska. The opinion offered no explanation of how the <br />FWS expected water so released to be administered so as to be <br />available at the desired river reach. <br /> <br />Stemming from the jeopardy opinion and the proposed <br />mitigation plan the Bureau of Reclamation (BR) and the FWS <br />concluded that the relationship of all fish and wildlife <br />resources to future water use throughout the Platte River System, <br />in the states of Colorado, Nebraska. and Wyoming. should be <br />concurrently adressed. Work groups, representing the two <br />agencies were designated and directed to develop an overall fish <br />and wildlife management plan for the Platte River system in <br />Central Nebraska, as well as assess alternatives which would <br />remove the jeopardy opinion on the Narrows Unit. During this <br />process nine Narrows Unit alternatives were evaluated, ranging <br />from streamflow maintenance using existing or potential storage, <br />including Off-stream storage. to mechanical or other <br />manipulations of the whopping crane habitat. <br /> <br />It has been concluded by the cooperative working group that <br />none of the alternatives, including the mitigation plan <br />recommended in the January, 1983, biological opinion, are <br />completely satisfactory due to a lack of certainty as to whether <br /> <br />~ <br /> <br />-10- <br />