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Final Minutes
Water Management Committee Meeting

January 5, 1999
Cheyenne, Wyoming

 

The Water Management Committee (WMC) meeting began at 10:25 a.m. in Cheyenne, Wyoming. After brief introductions, the next WMC meeting was scheduled to be held in Denver, Colorado, on February 9, 1999. The WMC agreed that future general meetings of the WMC would be held the day prior to Governance Committee meetings and in the same city, unless the Governance Committee meetings were scheduled on Monday.

The revised draft minutes of the November 12 workshop and November 17 meeting were discussed. These minutes were approved by the WMC with the correction provided by Jon Altenhofen.

The WMC reviewed the agenda. Agenda items added included Demonstration Projects, Flooding from Ground Water in Central Nebraska, and Future Committee Meetings. The agenda items regarding the budget and charter were deferred to the end of the meeting.

The Executive Director, Dale Strickland, discussed the agenda item regarding Future Committee Meetings with the WMC. The Executive Director is preparing a recommendation to the Governance Committee to hold workshops or other meeting sessions of the Governance Committee the day prior to their general business meetings. However, the WMC's current practice of holding meetings the day prior to the Governance Committee meetings limits the potential to hold these special workshops or meeting sessions. The Executive Director discussed with the WMC their potential meeting flexibility and the possibility of shortening their meetings to 1/2 day. The WMC meetings cannot be shortened to 1/2 day. The WMC requires full day meetings to address all agenda items. The WMC discussed the possibility of splitting the meetings between two days (1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on day one and 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on day two) to accommodate special sessions of the Governance Committee, but requested that any special sessions of the Governance Committee start no earlier than noon on Tuesday. The WMC has chosen to hold meetings the day prior to the Governance Committee due to the logistics involved.

The information being developed by the W14-1 Subgroup under Milestone W14-1 for the Water Conservation/Supply Reconnaissance Study (Reconnaissance Study) was discussed. The W14-1 Subgroup Chair, Jon Altenhofen, at the November 17, 1998, meeting indicated he anticipated preparing a test analysis using the monthly loss factors to route a hypothetical quantity of water to the critical habitat. This test analysis is not a deliverable to the consultant, nor is it required to satisfy the requirements of any milestone. The test analysis is being done specifically for the WMC for evaluation of the use of the monthly loss factors and for future reference. Since Rick Parsons of the Boyle Team has already developed a water budget spreadsheet tool that routes water through the defined reaches to the critical habitat using the monthly loss factors and has agreed to provide the WMC a test analysis, Mr. Altenhofen will not prepare this test analysis as originally planned.

The W14-1 Subgroup Chair reviewed with the WMC the revisions made to the flow conditions and monthly loss factors documents by the W14-1 Subgroup at their 8:00 a.m. meeting. The revisions made to the flow conditions document included:

The Subgroup's consensus recommendation to the WMC was to adopt the document entitled Summary of Flow Conditions for the Platte River for the Historical 1975-1994 Water Year Period dated December 11, 1998, with the revisions identified above as the deliverable to the consultant for purposes of the Reconnaissance Study under the first bullet of Milestone W14-1. The WMC, by consensus, officially adopted the flow conditions document.

The revisions made to the monthly loss factors document included:

The Subgroup's consensus recommendation to the WMC was to adopt the document entitled Determination of Monthly Loss Factors for the Platte River for the Historical 1975-1994 Water Year Period dated December 11, 1998, with the revisions identified above as the deliverable to the consultant for purposes of the Reconnaissance Study under the second bullet of Milestone W14-1. The WMC, by consensus, officially adopted the monthly loss factor document contingent upon review of the sentence added to page 6 regarding the use of the % divert.

Mr. Altenhofen will make the revisions to the flow conditions and monthly loss factors documents as identified above and provide the final copies to the WMC Chair. The WMC Chair will present the flow conditions and monthly loss factors documents to the Governance Committee as the deliverables to the consultant for use in the Reconnaissance Study, and final copies of these documents will be distributed to the WMC.

Next the WMC discussed hydrologically connected ground water. The comments provided by Mr. Altenhofen regarding the consultant's draft document entitled Platte River Study Methodology for Analyzing Hydrologically Connected Ground Water dated October 6, 1998, were handed out to the WMC and reviewed. Additional revisions to the document included changing the title to Report on Methodology for Analyzing Hydrologically Connected Ground Water for the Platte River Water Conservation/Supply Reconnaissance Study; changing the phrase "75% of pumping" to "75% of consumed pumping" on pages 2 and 3. This document was prepared by the consultant at the request of the WMC.

The WMC, by consensus, officially adopted this document as justification for the selection and use of the SDF (Streamflow Depletion Factor) Methodology for determining hydrologically connected ground water for the Reconnaissance Study with Mr. Altenhofen's revisions and the revisions made at this meeting. The consultant agreed to make the revisions to the document and provide the final copy to the WMC Chair. The WMC Chair will transmit this document to the Governance Committee for their information with a cover letter specifying the intended use of the SDF Method is for the Reconnaissance Study.

With the adoption of the three documents identified above, the WMC has completed the deliverables required by the consultant under bullets 1, 2, and 3 of Milestone W14-1 for the Reconnaissance Study. It should be emphasized that these documents are for use in the Reconnaissance Study only. The WMC has yet to address bullets 1, 2, and 3 of Milestone W14-1 with respect to development of the accounting system referred to in the fifth bullet of W14-1.

After a lunch break from 12:15 p.m. to 1:00 p.m., Mr. Larry Wells gave a presentation to the WMC regarding a proposed site for a demonstration project. The WMC has yet to formulate a process to select demonstration projects and thanked Mr. Well for sharing his ideas. The WMC will further consider Mr. Wells' proposed site as the process is developed.

Flooding from ground water in the Lexington to Chapman area was discussed. Mr. Vernon Nelson, Co-Chair of the Land Committee, related to the WMC concerns that have been expressed at recent Land Committee meetings regarding the potential effect of increased flows due to the Program on areas currently experiencing high ground water levels, which have resulted in water in basements and reduced root zones depths in some areas. Mr. Nelson, Rodell Jameson, Curt Brown, John Lawson, and Dale Strickland were asked by Ralph Morgenweck (Chair of the Governance Committee) to determine what information can be collected to address the flooding concern. This group held a conference call on January 4, 1999, to identify ways to address the concern of flooding. The group identified that the key to evaluation of the potential effects of the Program was to develop a data base of existing information documenting occurrences of high ground water levels to form the baseline conditions without the Program. The group has identified employing a public survey to collect baseline information regarding flooding such as general location, legal description of the area, time of year in which problem occurred, etc.

Curt Brown, Manager of the EIS (Environmental Impact Statement) Team, identified that the EIS Team needs to collect data to analyze the potential effects of the Program under their Programmatic EIS. Data to be collected includes precipitation records; extent of irrigated acres; irrigation practices; river flow trends; ground water level trends; extent of areas flooded; and location, time, and conditions associated with basement flooding. Once these data are collected, an expert may be hired to analyze the data and draw conclusions.

Duane Woodward of the Central Platte Natural Resources District indicated that some door-to-door surveys have been conducted in Grand Island, Nebraska, to gather information with respect to flooded basements. Mr. Woodward further identified that flooding problems have been experienced in some areas near the City of Kearney, in Merrick County, and in Dawson County. A study was conducted for Dawson County with respect to the effects of rainfall recharge.

Mike Slifer of the USGS indicated that the USGS is planning to collect ground water level data and prepare water level maps in the vicinity of Grand Island, Nebraska. It is anticipated that the information collected would be further analyzed to draw inferences regarding river stage and ground water levels with remaining funds. The data collection and analysis are subject to availability of funding. If funding is available, the water level maps and results of the analysis are anticipated to be completed in the fall of 1999.

The WMC's role in addressing the flooding problem was discussed. The group formed to address the flooding concern believes the WMC should coordinate this effort as the WMC contains the technical expertise and will advise the Governance Committee as to the potential effects due to the proposed alternative formed by the Governance Committee. It was suggested that a subgroup be formed to prepare a proposed approach to analyze the flooding problem. The proposed approach should include data needs, description of analysis, and public information regarding operation of the Program. The following individuals were appointed to a subgroup:

Duane Woodward was appointed to Chair the subgroup. The subgroup will present its proposed approach to the WMC at the February 9, 1999, meeting.

After a break from 3:10 p.m. to 3:25 p.m., the meeting continued with the consultant providing a status of the Reconnaissance Study. The Boyle Team has met with U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, State of Wyoming, and one water user group in Colorado to discuss alternatives for the Reconnaissance Study. A meeting with the Platte River Projects Group in Colorado is scheduled for January 11, 1999, and a meeting with Nebraska at Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District's (Central) office in Holdrege, Nebraska, is scheduled for February 2, 1999. The Boyle Team has started to formulate specific alternatives from the list of general alternatives. A water budget spreadsheet tool has been developed to route water to the critical habitat and is being fine tuned. The Boyle Team also confirmed the ground water mound in central Nebraska is being considered as a potential alternative for the Reconnaissance Study.

Rick Parsons of the Boyle Team gave a presentation to the WMC on the development and use of the water budget spreadsheet tool. The spreadsheet tool contains the monthly loss factors developed by the W14-1 Subgroup. The % divert loss factor, used if an alternative's water is considered unprotected and subject to re-diversion en route to the critical habitat, can be turned "on" or "off" to simulate the unprotected or protected water contribution condition. By running the spreadsheet tool to simulate both an unprotected or protect condition, the range of an alternative's potential average yield at the habitat can be determined. Currently the % divert option is either "on" or "off" for all reaches. The WMC asked that this option be change to vary by reach, so it could be "on" in one reach and "off" in another in the same run.

The WMC asked Mr. Parsons if he would provide a test analysis using the spreadsheet tool to route a hypothetical quantity of water to the critical habitat. The WMC is interested in reviewing the results of this test analysis for evaluation of the use of the monthly loss factors and for future reference. Mr. Parsons will provide the test analysis using the spreadsheet tool with tabular and graphical presentation of data to the WMC Chair by January 29, 1999. The WMC Chair will forward the test analysis to the WMC for their information and discussion at the February meeting. The Boyle Team was instructed to send output from the test analysis in black and white format to facilitate photocopying.

A letter to the Executive Director from the WMC Chair dated January 4, 1999, regarding the WMC's recommendation for Colorado's Future Depletions Plan was handed out to the WMC. The WMC Chair explained the letter incorporated the comments provided by WMC members with regard to the draft recommendation provided to the WMC by letter dated December 21, 1998. The WMC recommends the Governance Committee accept the assumptions contained in Colorado's Plan contingent upon the right to modify these assumptions as new information becomes available. The WMC Chair will provide the lettr to the Executive Director for presentation to the Governance Committee at their January 6, 1999, meeting.

A draft WMC work plan and schedule were handed out. The WMC was asked to review the work plan and schedule and provide comments to the WMC Chair by January 6, 1999. Comments will be compiled by the WMC Chair and distributed to the WMC for discussion at the February meeting.

The agenda item regarding public outreach was scratched from the agenda due to time constraints.

A facsimile from Mike Purcell to the WMC Chair dated November 20, 1998, regarding a proposed implementation plan for the development of the Action Plan was handed out. The proposed plan outlines a suggested process to get from the Reconnaissance Study Report to the Action Plan, including peer review. The WMC was asked to review this document and provide comment to the WMC by January 29, 1999. Comments will be compiled by the WMC Chair and distributed to the WMC for discussion at the February meeting.

The revised draft WMC Charter and Budget provided to the WMC by letter from the WMC Chair dated December 21, 1998, were formally adopted by consensus of the WMC members. Final copies of these documents will be provided to the Governance Committee.

Handouts provided at the meeting will be distributed to the WMC with the draft minutes.

The meeting adjourned at 5:05 p.m.

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