Final Minutes
Water Management Committee Meeting
The Water Management Committee meeting (WMC) began at 1:20 p.m. in Ogallala, Nebraska. The minutes of the May 23, 2000, WMC meeting were approved.
The WMC Chair reviewed with the WMC the language in his June 21, 2000, letter to Margot Zallen of the Drafting Committee. The letter provides the documents prepared by the WMC for Milestone 14-1 and the draft Water Action Plan dated May 30, 2000, as requested by Ms. Zallen at the June Governance Committee meeting, including the Chair's expectations for the future role of the water committee. The WMC Chair envisions any water committee that may be created for the Program should be a committee that provides advice and assistance in the form of reviews and recommendations on water related activities or other issues as assigned by the Governance Committee. Further, an organization that includes a Program Manager with qualified staff would be better suited to develop and manage the Program's water and related activities than a volunteer water committee. Discussion regarding Program organization followed. By consensus, the WMC believes a water committee's future role should be advisory and assistance in nature.
A handout entitled, List of Potential Water Management Committee Tasks dated June 16, 2000, was distributed by the WMC Chair and discussed. The list summarizes 17 potential tasks for a water committee identified in the Platte River Cooperative Agreement, Attachment III, Proposed Platte River Recovery Implementation Program (Proposed Program Document) and the Draft Water Action Plan (May 30, 2000). It was recognized the tasks require a level of detail that reinforces the need for a program management organization. The WMC Chair asked for the WMC's input regarding the list of tasks with respect to 1) what is the role of the WMC in relation to the tasks; 2) review the language in the Proposed Program Attachment III document, identifying problems with the existing language; and 3) provide any recommendations for the work to be done by a program manager and staff versus a water committee.
After a break for 3:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., the meeting continued with a discussion of the 16 Point Heads Up list as developed by the Drafting Committee. At the May 25 Governance Committee meeting, the WMC Chair was asked to provide input from the WMC on point numbers 7, 8, and 14. Point number 7 relates to water verification language in the Proposed Program Document (III.D.1.c, III.D.2.c, and III.E.3) and whether "verification" of yields from the water projects should be in the milestones or the Program document for the first increment. The WMC discussed "verification". The WMC can track and account Program water contributions under the States' water administration procedures. This information can be used to evaluate how much Program water was contributed to the river as well as compare those flows to what were expected in the river models. However, the ability to measure the incremental change resulting from the Program is difficult, since no data for the "without Program" condition will be available, once the Program begins. The WMC believes verification will be a process and should be left in the Program Document and not moved to the first increment milestones.
In point number 8, the Drafting Committee asks for guidance to revise the first sentence of Section E (Institutional Protections/New Water Related Activities) of the Proposed Program Document (Page 11) in light of the products of Milestone W14-1. The first sentence reads, "DOI and the states intend that flow characteristic in the associated habitats which are determined by the process described in the Milestones for the Cooperative Agreement to be relevant shall be protected for adverse change." After discussing this sentence in light of Milestone W14-1, the WMC needs further clarification on the Drafting Committee's concern regarding this sentence and its relationship to Milestone W14-1. The WMC Chair will seek further clarification from the Drafting Committee.
In point number 14, the Drafting Committee asks that any unresolved issues be identified and whether water supply/conservation projects will be limited to those projects which can release water that can be protected from diversion from downstream appropriators. The WMC identified Hydrologically Connected Ground Water (HCGW) as a potential unresolved issue. However, the WMC believes the issue of HCGW will be addressed in the States' New Depletions Plans. With regard to limiting water supply/conservation projects to those which can be protected, the WMC believes language requiring all projects be protected should not be included in the Program Document, but the WMC recognizes the ability to protect a project's water contribution for the intended purpose will be an important consideration for the project's approval.
The next meeting will be held September 12, 2000, in Cheyenne, Wyoming, starting at 1:00 p.m. Items for discussions will include the draft list of duties/tasks that a water committee may be responsible for during the Program, as prepared by the subgroup and the advisory role for the Program water committee.
The meeting adjourned at 5:00 p.m.
NOTE: Subsequent to the writing of these minutes, the Sept. 12 meeting has been cancelled.
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