WSPC06991

• File Number: 8408
• Description: River Basin General Correspondence
• State: CO
• Basin: South Platte
• Water Division: 1
• Date: 7/30/1993
• Title: Platte River Evaluation: USBR - National Audubon Society Comments on Platte River Management Joint Study Management Alternatives Work Group's Draft "Platte River Habitat Conservation Program"
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

ST~Uf~20F NEBRASKA

DD'ARTMENT OF WATER RfSOUK\;J;S
J. Mkha,-4 Jc.'"
l>,rern-.r

July 9, 1993

IN IUJ-'LY REFER TO:

E. Bp.njAtni~ Nelson
(ilh"'rTwr

TO:
FROM:

Mike

M~r~anweck

SUBJECT ;

oint Management Study (PRJMS)

Nebraska' s futur~ part i c . pat i on in the PRJMS is cant i ngent upon acceptance of the
followin9 elements by olorado, Wyoming, Bureau of Reclamation and Fish and
Wildlife Service officials: '

1. As tentatively proposed already, federal officials would be .responsible
for procurement of a 11 federal funds necessa ry to acqu i re real estate
needed for wildlife habitat in Nebraska. Procurement must also contain
provisions to mitigate fiscal impacts should acquisitions adversely impact
local tax revenues.

2. When water requirements for habitat needs in Nebraska are establ ished,
necessary water supplies shall come from sources in Colorado and Wyoming,
as well as from Nebraska. The amount of water needed to offset depletions
in each state shall be in proportion to the consumptive water uses in each
state as determined by the Bureau and reported in "Task 5C: I:.stilllated
Out-of-Stream Consumptive Water Use." In short, Nebraska insi sts that
water users in our state not be forced to curtail or do without water
wh i 1 e users in Colorado or Wyomi ng, both current and those rea sonably
anticipated (within the next ten years), consume greater amounts.

3. Existing as well as proposed projects should benefit from the conservation
program such as those identified in the May Il, 1993, Habitat Conservation
Program that will be used to mitigate adverse impacts identified during
Section 7 consultation required by the federal Endangered Species Act.
Section 1 consultation for the North Platte Project and FERC relicensing,
for example, cannot be Intentionally omitted from the proposed effort.

4. Based upon sound biological analysis, the Fish and Wildlife Service must
provide a full outline of all land and water requirements and agree to
stand by those quantifications (without modification) for ten years.

5. All parties must agree to establish and agree to adhere to a plan and
schedule detailing when land and water requirements for habitat needs will
be in place. The plan and schedule must be finalized and signed by
January 1, 1995.

MJ:ml

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