Voyage of Recovery slideshow

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Platte River Recovery Implementation Program
(PRRIP) Update Lower South Platte Water
Symposium March 11, 2009 Dr. Jerry
Kenny Executive Director PRRIP
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Platte River Basin
Credit ICF
Credit USACE
Credit USACE
Credit ND Game Fish
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1938
1998
Extent of Vegetation Expansion and Loss of
Braided Nature of Platte River Following Water
Storage and Distribution Development
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Platte River Threatened Endangered Species
Credit ICF
Credit USACE
Credit USACE
Credit ND Game Fish
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PRRIP History

• ESA issues in all three states starting
  1970/1980s
• NE, WY, CO decide to discuss potential for
  Cooperative Agreement with federal agencies in
  1993
• Cooperative Agreement signed on July 1, 1997
• 1997 through 2006 Negotiations among Governance
  Committee USFWS, BOR, Nebraska, Colorado,
  Wyoming, upstream North Platte water users,
  upstream Colorado South Platte water users,
  downstream water users, environmental/conservation
  groups
• Result - PRRIP (Program)

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Program and Platte River Ecosystem

• Increment 1 13 years (2007-2019)
• Reduce central Platte flow shortages by 130,000
  150,000 acre-feet of water/yr
• Protect or restore 10,000 acres of habitat in
  central Platte
• Adaptive Management Plan
• Improve production of least tern and piping
  plover from central Platte River
• Improve survival of whooping cranes during
  migration
• Avoid adverse impacts from Program actions on
  pallid sturgeon populations

• Increment 1 13 years (2007-2019)
• Reduce central Platte flow shortages by 130,000
  150,000 acre-feet of water/yr
• Protect or restore 10,000 acres of habitat in
  central Platte
• Adaptive Management Plan

Credit Brian Lehmann/UNK
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Program and Platte River Ecosystem

• 50/50 Split Federal States
• Cost is roughly 320 million in 2005 dollars with
  the monetary portion of that being 187
• Federal government will contribute 157 million
  in cash
• Colorado and Wyoming will jointly contribute 30
  million in cash
• Remaining portion will come in land and water
  cost-share from the states
• Nebraskas contributions come entirely in land
  water

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PRRIP Structure
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Headwaters Corporation

• For profit corporation
• Formed to provide ED Program staff
• Program management is not via Federal or State
  agency
• Greater flexibility nimbleness

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First Increment Objectives Land

• Protection and restoration of 10,000 acres of
  habitat for the three avian species
• Habitat Complexes
• Non-complex Habitat

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Land Acquisition

• Proactive and Reactive approaches
• Willing Seller/Willing Buyer
• Will NOT shift tax burden
• Good Neighbor Policy
• Program may buy land or acquire easements or
  lease

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First Increment Objectives WATER

• Reduce deficits to USFWS target flows by annual
  average of 130,000 to 150,000 acre-feet
• Generate Pulse Flows

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Key Features of Adaptive Management Plan

• AM allows you to move forward in the face of
  uncertainty
• Systematic process to test hypotheses apply
  information learned to improve management of land
  and water
• Scientific Rigor is Critical
• Technical Advisory Committee/Adaptive Management
  Working Group,
• Independent Scientific Advisory Committee (ISAC),
• Peer Reviews Panels,
• Other input

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Major Strategies

• Flows can be used to maintain the braided stream,
  bare sand habitat desired. (Clear/Level/Pulse)
• Mechanical means are a proven technique for
  creating and maintaining the habitat.
  (Clear/Level/Plow)
• Experiment the pulse flow
• High flow event in May 2008

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PROGRESS

• Start-up Actions
• Established Executive Directors Office and hired
  staff
• Established Water, Technical, and Land Advisory
  Committees
• Established Land Interest Holding Entity
• Acquired Insurance Coverage
• Initiated development Database Management System
• EA Bypass Agreement
• President signed Program legislation on May 8,
  2008
• Legislation is part of the Consolidated Natural
  Resources Act of 2008
• Legislation authorizes federal funds and allows
  Program to begin purchasing land

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PROGRESS

• Land
• Setting stage
• LAC
• LIHE
• Developed evaluation protocols and MOUs
• Significant interest expressed among landowners
• Over 60 tracts in the evaluation process
• GC approved commencing appraisals and
  negotiations on 17 tracts of land
• Five offers to sell approved, one deal inked
• Management plans and actions

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PROGRESS

• Water
• Unsteady Flow Model
• North Platte Channel Capacity Study
• Channel capacity reduced impact pulse flow
• Phragmite spraying and island removal plan and
  permits
• Water Management Study, Phase I completed
• Alternative source and delivery evaluation
• Hydrologic Routing Model
• Extend hydrologic record
• Water Management Study, Phase II completed
• Identify most promising alternatives to advance
  to feasability

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PROGRESS

• Adaptive Management
• CA Whooping Crane Data Analysis Completed
• Pallid Sturgeon Information Review
• Whooping Crane, Forage Fish, Tern and Plover
  Monitoring
• Tern and Plover Foraging Study
• Entered into consortium with to implement LiDAR
  mapping from Kingsley Dam to Chapman
• Stage Change Study on Lower Platte, Year 1
• Central and Lower Platte Water Quality Monitoring
• Geomorphology and Vegetation Monitoring
• Finalize 2009-2013 Long-Term Work Plan
• Finalize Independent Scientific Advisory
  Committee/Peer Review Panels
• Cottonwood Ranch and Wyoming Property
  Enhancements
• High flow event data collection and monitoring

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Benefit to Colorado

• Contributions - 24 Million and 10,000 acre-feet
  annually
• Benefit Received
• Regulatory Certainty
• Ability for development to proceed
• Streamlined Section 7 Consultation Process
• Simple check mark process
• South Platte Water Related Activities Program
  (SPWRAP)
• 2007 9 projects
• 2008 14 projects
• Depletions covered by Tamarack II Project

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Invasive Species - Phragmites
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2001
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2007
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Platte River near Gothenberg
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Questions Dr. Jerry Kenny Executive
Director PRRIP [phone] www.platteriverprogr
am.org