WSP00190

• File Number: 8407
• Description: Platte River Basin - River Basin General Publications
• State: CO
• Basin: South Platte
• Water Division: 1
• Date: 6/2/1999
• Author: URS Greiner Woodward
• Title: Documentation of Existing Conditions in the Central Platte Valley - Delivery Order Number 86
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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TOLE OF CONTENTS

Section 1

Section 2

Section 3

Section 4

Introduction ....................................................................................... ............................. 1.1

Environmental Setting ................................................................................................... 2.1

2.1 Description of the Central Platte Study Area........................................... 2-1
2.2 Vegetation and Land Cover Types........................................................... 2-1

2.2.1 Croplands ......... ..,. ........... .,. ......... ....... .... ...:..................... ...... ....... 2-2

2.2.2 Grasslands ... ............ ...... ........... ....,. ..... ...... .... ....... ........... ...... ....... 2-2
2.2.3 Riverine Cover Types .................................................................. 2-3

2.2.4 Other Types........ ................... ........ .............. .......... ....' ........ .... ...... 2-4
2.2.5 Development...... ........... ................ ........... .................. ... ..... .... ...... 2-4
2.3 Platte River Habitat ChangefDecline .......................................................2-5
2.4 Hydrologic Baseline................................................................................. 2-7

2.5 Water Quality ...........................................................................................2-7

2.6 Sediment ... ........... ..... ...... ........... ....... ............. ........... .,... .................. ........ 2-7
2.7 Bottomland Grasslands (Wet Meadows) ................................................. 2-7

2.7.1 Definition .....................................................................................2-7
2.7.2 Location and Distribution ............................................................ 2-8
2.7.3 Hydrology and Ecology ............................................................... 2-9
2.8 Habitat Restoration Efforts .................................................................... 2-11
2.9 Suitability of the Existing Baseline for Monitoring............................... 2-13
2.9.1 Vegetation and Land Use........................................................... 2~13
2.9.2 Platte River Hydrology .............................................................. 2-14
2.9.3 Bottomland Grasslands/Wet Meadows...................................... 2-14
2.9.4 Habitat Restoration .................................................................... 2-15

Whooping Crane ............................................................................................................ 3-1

3 .1 History......... .............. .....................................................:......................... 3-1
3.2 Reasons for Decline ................................................................................. 3-1

3.3 Biology.............................................. ....................................................... 3 -3
3.3.1 Life History .................................................................................. 3-3

3.3.2 Migration Habitat......................................................................... 3-4
3.4 Importance of the Platte River ................................................................. 3-5

3.4.1 Roost Sites ................................................................................... 3-6
3.4.2 Wet Meadow Habitat ................................................................... 3-9
3.4.3 Platte River Habitat Decline ........................................................ 3-9
3.4.4 Relation of the Platte River to the Rainwater Basins................. 3-10

3.5 Recovery Goals ................................................................ ...................... 3-10
3.6 Suitability of the Existing Baseline for Monitoring............................... 3-11

Least Tern ....................................................................................................................... 4-1

4.1 History ......................................................................................................4-1
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