BOARD01284

• Board Meeting Date: 9/21/1998
• Description: Platte River Basin Issues - Status of Platte River Species Cooperative Agreement Implementation
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

August 12, 1998

STATE OF COLOMDO

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DEPARTMEl\lT OF
NATURAL
RESOURCES

OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

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Department of Naturell Resources
131) Sherman Street, Room 71 a
Denver, Colorado 80203
Phone: [phone]
TOO: 13031 866-3543
FAX: [phone]

Mr, John Lawson
Chairman
Platte River Cooperative Agreement Water Management Subcommittee
c/o V.S, Bureau of Reclarnation
Great Plains Region
Wyoming Area Office
P,O, Box 1630
Mills, Wyoming 82644-1630

Roy Romer
Govemor
Wade Buchan.ln
Executive Oireaor
Ron urtany
Deputy Director

Dear John:

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As you'll recall, when the text of the water supply / conservation appendix to the Platte
River Cooperative Agreement was being negotiated over a year ago, the State of Colorado
expressed concerns on several occasions that the consultant study be targeted toward
specific, realistic water supply / conservation opportunities, We were and remain quite
concerned that unless people both knowledgeable about the Platte River system and
accountable for managing the costs of the Cooperative Agreement performed an initial
screening on such opportunities, the consultant might waste valuable time and money
exploring "dead ends" - that is, project ideas that may facially appear interesting but in fact
are fraught with so many problems as to make them inappropriate for further consideration,

After reviewing the "long list" of possible water supply / conservation projects prepared by
Boyle Engineering, it is apparent that our concerns were well founded. The long list
includes reference to a project idea termed "increase transbasin diversions." I can only
infer that the basin-of-origin in question is the Colorado River basin, I carmot think of a
more untenable and unacceptable source of water to address endangered species issues in
the central Platte River of Nebraska, Colorado insists that the Water Committee refrain
from any further consideration of this source of supply, and that it request Blaine Dwyer to
refrain from spending any additional time or contract dollars pursuing this idea,

Endangered fish in the Colorado River basin have been the focal point of a multi-year
effort designed to recover listed species while allowing water development to continue in
accordance with interstate compacts and state law, It simply defies reason and logic to
suggest increasing diversions from the Colorado River for use for endangered species
purposes in the Platte River basin, We might just as well suggest that water be diverted to
the Platte from the Columbia River basin,

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BOJrd of Land Commis5ioners . Division of Minerals & Geology/Geological Survey
Oil $, Cas c..JnservJtion Commission' COIOfJdo Stolte Parks. Soil Conservation Board
W.:!ter COJljervJ[ion BOurd . OlvisuJn of Water Rt;'sources . Division of Wildlife