WSPC01067

• File Number: 8408
• Description: River Basin General Correspondence
• State: CO
• Basin: South Platte
• Water Division: 1
• Date: 9/28/1990
• Title: Platte River Evaluation: USBR - Plan of Study for Evaluation of Operations of Existing Reclamation Projects on the Platte River for the Potential to Affect Threatened or Endangered Species
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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Examples of habitat characteristics for some threatened and endangered
species are:

a. Whooping crane roosting habitat is described by the
unobstructed water area in the river channel, the width of
water in the channel! and the distribution of depths across the
channel. Whooping crane feeding habitat in the wet meadows is
presently under study, and parameters that describe the
habitats are not complete.

b. Tern and plover nesting habitat are described by the height of
a nest above the river stage, the distance to river bank, the
amount of open, unvegetated sand surrounding the nesting area,
the size of nesting sandbar area, the vegetation cover, and
distance to feeding source.

Terns feed on small fish in the river. The fish habitat is
described by river channel hydraulic parameters, i.e., water
depth, velocity, and wet channel area. Fishery parameters a190
include channel substrate and cover, and water quality_

c. Bald eagles forage on fish in the river channel during the
winter when open water is available. The habitat parameters
for the forage fish are the same as described for the forage
fish used by the terns. Open water for fishing during the
winter months has not been investigated as to the habitat para-
meter involved in describing this habitat.

The habitat characteristics for threatened and endangered species have
been used to develop needs and habitat management goal for each species
habitat as it relates to flow and type of land management. The
developed needs are being examined in the Platte River Management Joint
Study process. Additional analyses that describe habitat needs
on the Platte River are presently being researched or need to be
researched. Some of this work is scheduled to be continued or started
under this study. The Service has provided a list of threatened and
endangered species in the Platte River Basin and a list of other
important fish and wildlife species that use the habitat resources of
the basin. The habitat needs for other fish and wildlife resources will
be discussed, and impacts.of endangered species operational alternatives
on other fish and wildlife resources will be displayed in each
operational alternative. These species and their habitat needs were
considered in determining the work tasks required for this evaluation.
Work tasks to be accomplished are displayed in Table 3 for the monthly
time period between fiscal years 1990 and 1995.

4. Evaluation of Pro;ect ODerational Effects on SDecies Habitat

The effects of project operations on species and their associated
habitat will be evaluated upon development of the necessary evaluation
methodology. The major evaluation methodologies are the hydrologic
operation models, sediment transport analysis, and the habitat require-

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