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