FLOOD01223

• County: Statewide
• Community: State of Colorado
• Stream Name: South Platte
• Title: Upper Platte River Basin Study 1979-83
• Date: 1/1/1979
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Flood Mitigation/Flood Warning/Watershed Restoration

1. The study would not delay or hamper the construction of
the Congressionally authorized Narrows Unit or any
other Colorado project without the express approval of
the State of Colorado.

2. In the development of options or alternatives for the
use of water in the Upper Platte River Basin, due
recognition would be given to state water law, water
rights decrees, and interstate compacts.

We reaffirm the conditions stated above. In particular, I wish
to emphasize that Colorado's obligations to Wyoming and Nebraska
with respect to the Platte River system are governed by the South
Platte River Compact and the pertinent U. S. Supreme Court
decrees. Assertions concerning streamflow requirements for
habitat maintenance in either Wyoming or Nebraska cannot impair
or otherwise affect the rights of Colorado or its water users.

In general, we find the draft report to be well written. It
appears to provide a relatively complete analysis of the issues
concerning the alleged relationship between water use and habitat
conditions in the central Nebraska area.

One's evaluation of the report's findings and conclusions
would be facilitated by having available an expanded description
of the Upper Platte River model and its application. The
supporting appendices for the report would also be useful.
Perhaps a complete description of the model could be incorporated
into an appendix and all appendices published along with the
final report.

One additional general comment concerns the fact that the
draft report deals only with habitat maintenance through assumed
manipulation of future streamflow conditions. We feel that the
final report should, at a minimum, give recognition to the other
means which are available to maintain habitat conditions, such as
mechanical measures. Furthermore, the final report should make
it clear that the Bureau's study was, for study management
purposes only, limited to analyses of the effects of alternative
streamflow regimes on habitat conditions. The three agencies'
concluding joint report must then take care to examine all
available means of habitat maintenance in equal detail.

We have several specific comments which are as follows:

Table 3, page 21: Urban acreages listed for the North and
South Platte Rivers appear high. perhaps a footnote
specifically defining this category would be helpful.
Also, wet meadow acreage along the South Platte River
seems quite high.

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