Final Minutes
Water Action Plan Committee Meeting
North Platte, Nebraska
The Water Action Plan Committee (WAPC) meeting began at 9:20 a.m. in North Platte, Nebraska. The minutes of the December 16, 1999, WAPC meeting were approved.
After the agenda was reviewed, Boyle Engineering presented a draft Water Action Plan Memorandum ("Memorandum") that identified the existing information required to meet the basic level of detail needed by the EIS (Environmental Impact Statement) Team for their EIS and ESA (Endangered Species Act) evaluations. The draft Memorandum discusses the potential projects identified by Colorado, Nebraska, and Wyoming ("three states") and supplemented by Dan Luecke to provide an average annual net reduction in target flow shortages of approximately 70,000 acre feet.
During the presentation, the WAPC discussed each of the potential projects and offered comments regarding the draft Memorandum. Colorado expressed reservations regarding evaluating Beebe Draw, citing legal, cost, and acceptability hurdles. It was noted the Dry Creek/Fort Kearney Cutoffs' water contributions entered below the start of the critical reach and the question of whether these contributions should receive full credit to reducing target flow shortages was expressed. The average yields for the Glendo Storage and Pathfinder Modification Municipal Account projects shown in the draft Memorandum reflects the yields at the site and the reductions to target flow shortages at the critical habitat associated with these projects will be less depending on conveyance losses. The WAPC also asked that Boyle Engineering include a table summarizing the associated costs.
Boyle Engineering will summarize the comments given at the meeting and provide the comments to the WAPC Chair for distribution to the WAPC. The WAPC Members were asked to provide any additional written comments regarding the draft Memorandum to the WAPC Chair by February 11, 2000, and any other potential projects for inclusion in the draft Memorandum. It was agreed the draft Memorandum will be provided to the EIS Team to begin evaluating the cumulative effects using the EIS models. Further, Boyle Engineering will incorporate the comments provided into the draft Memorandum and other potential projects identified (if any), with this additional information to be provided to the EIS Team in Mid-February. The EIS Manager (Curt Brown) indicated some preliminary evaluation information may be available for discussion at the February WAPC meeting.
It was noted the draft Memorandum or evaluation of the potential projects using the EIS models does not constitute any parties' commitment to any specific project at this time. Projects may be added or removed as further information and analyses warrant.
After a lunch break from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., the meeting held between Boyle Engineering and the EIS Team on January 18, 2000, was discussed. The meeting focussed on the exchange of information regarding the assumptions used for evaluation of the alternative evaluated by Boyle Engineering for the Water Conservation/Supply Study versus the assumptions used by the EIS Team in their preliminary evaluations for the WAPC using the EIS models. Both parties indicated the informational sharing meeting was beneficial. It is anticipated additional meetings of this nature may be held.
While the EIS Team is providing assistance to the WAPC to evaluate the cumulative effects of the potential projects identified in the draft Memorandum using the EIS models, it is important to note the EIS Team is performing separate evaluations for the EIS and ESA requirements. The EIS Team is evaluating a wide range of alternatives. The EIS Manager indicated a formulation document providing information regarding the alternatives being evaluated by the EIS Team is scheduled to be complete in March/April. The EIS Manager was asked to prepare a write-up documenting the method to be used EIS Team to evaluate peak daily pulse flows using the results of the EIS monthly models.
Next the WAPC discussed the Water Action Plan report. An outline for the Water Action Plan report needs to be developed to help frame the information to be included in the report. It was suggested to use the outline for the Programmatic EIS as a starting point and modify that outline to meet the needs of the Water Action Plan report. The EIS Manager agreed to provide a copy of the EIS outline to the WAPC Chair. Further, it was identified the level of detail needed by the EIS Team will be satisfied by the reconnaissance-level information gathered by Boyle Engineering. The WAPC recognized the need for further information prior to implementing any projects. The Executive Director volunteered to draft a document outlining a process that addresses the different level of informational needs.
After a break from 3:40 p.m. - 4:10 p.m., the WAPC discussed the principles provided by the WAPC members. These principles will be used as guidance during the formulation of a Water Action Plan. Some of the principles are consistent for all states and some address special considerations in specific states. Ultimately, the principles will be echoed in how the Water Action Plan is formulated. The WAPC Chair volunteered to take the assignment of organizing the principles into a coordinated document that identifies principles in common amongst the state and those not in common for discussion at the February meeting. (Note: this assignment was originally given to Boyle Engineering, but it was agreed the WAPC Chair was better suited for the assignment.)
Future meetings for the WAPC will be held February 23, 2000; March 22, 2000; and April 26, 2000. The February 23 meeting will be held in Cheyenne, Wyoming, at the Laramie County Community College (Room 129) from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The March 22 meeting will be held in Kearney, Nebraska, at the Ramada Inn from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The April 26 meeting will be held in Lakewood, Colorado, in the third floor conference room of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Building from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
The meeting adjourned at 4:40 p.m.
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