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;;n0~31 -- -..- ~ - . . , II sc .J Platte River EvaliatifJl\ UPDATE ~ JI Bureau of Reclamation Evaluation of the Operation of ulalln; Projecta on th~ I Plane Rtver for Ihe Potenllal to Affect Thre.lened or Endangered Specl... Nonh Plane RIve, Project. omc., Mm" Wyoming otUK \ ~ j1J' June 1991 ~_..~ - Pathfinder Dam, Ont' of R~c/amation 's oldest. is one of the facilities bein8 e\'a/ul1led for effects on lhrr.'atened and entUlngered species. H)'drologic Model Development In October 1990 tbe Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), under the lead of the North Plauc Rivcr Projects Office, initiated ~__hl1l- tiQD.o! e.xiMiRg Redam3tionl'f'Oittt~ in 1h6.PlaueBaorin for the potentiat to .rrea..bJ"fcnM.oo.tmoJa~4W.I ~. The evaluation is onc of Rcclamation's major emironmental commitments as required by tbe En- dangered Species Act. One of the keys to succe~u1 completion of the evaluation is the dcw.-lopmcn1.d.n a".c.pr..ab1e-h~'dr~ 1lM<<1 for use in cxaluating.1h.e...opcI.otlk"ft.eifeon!t of rY;ding p'*~fo,on dw..."'-.wth Pmt~ Rhcr in W)'oming. In Scptcmher 1990, thc North Plaue River Projects Office asked the \Vymning-W.alC.LDCloWpmc.a1.-Com- ~ (WWDC) to allow Reclama- tion to re\;ew the NOllh P.taUe-- River Si~~NPRSM-) for potential applicability 10 the evalua- lion. The major rcawn for the re- quest was to allow a re\iew of some significanl modifications 10 the S'PRSM made by Rcclamalion in 1989-90 as p;u-t4-1~nue R~r- '.:oil ~!llIAIo.Al il~, A \fa)' 1989 agreement....ith \\'\\1)C allo.....ed Reclamation to usc the KPRSM in the Seminoe Stud~, but any dcrivation works or models produced b).lhis study became the property' of the v.'\\'Oc. Follo....ing a technical rc\ie..... of the ~"PRSM and Reclamatioo's moc..lificalions, it .....as del ermined that U~ of!he bl'lsic'SlrntttJre-ofthe model with Recil!marion'5 modtfica. riuns could significantly reduce the amount of calend.ar time required to develop a model for the evaluation of emring operations. By purchasing the modcl, which in turn would allow the use of Reclamation's modifica- tions, about 9 months of model dcvelopment time could be saved. Trn"NPRSM .....~s pun:'h~d -(wrn the.WWDCin !\13:rt'trl9?r, and documentation for the model, along ....ith Reclamation's modifications, wa... pr\Jo\.Uk.J lu lhl;-..Hytlrology-S4udy TMffl (,.,.wtlhwtkln .nul ffloJifu:a- lion. Dircaw..,I(the-NPRSMhas nt.:.\4l bent ~uggen~ by Reebma. !iOll--1Q C..u aSC3Tty35 NOYC'mner l~ .....nen commenting on !he- Dttr Cre-ek'Projeet Draft EnYironmcntal _SMI~nt; Reef:1m:ninn did not ....o&WoH>wtth hydroIDgiC'1'esults "mdurett'b~fTh~!'."PRS!\-1. It is anticipaled thc model structurc and Reclamation's modifications ....ill be \.aluablc to the Hydrology Study Team in developing a satisfactory model to evaluale Reclamation's operation of exisling Platte Riycr projects for the pOlenlial 10 affect Ihreatened and endangered species. The Hydrology Study Team is represented by more than 30 in- di\iduals representing several federal and statc agencies. conser....ation and ....ildlife organiz.3.tions. and .....ater lLSers. (see list on page 3) The learninitiated rc\iew of the NPRSM in early April and met :-'1ay 16 to discuss its rc\ie..... of the model as well as ho..... the model could be modified for use (cont'd)