DENVER (AP) - A preliminary blueprint for managing the Platte River was hailed by some Friday as a milestone in efforts to restore habitat for endangered species while protecting water users in Wyoming, Colorado and Nebraska.
The document released by the Interior Department is a major step toward restoring the river that is central "to one of the most dramatic wildlife spectacles in the world," said Duane Hovorka, executive director of the Nebraska Wildlife Federation.
The Platte River in central Nebraska is a major stop for migrating whooping cranes and home to the piping plover, least tern and pallid sturgeon - all considered threatened or endangered species.
The river's two branches start in the Colorado mountains, flow through Wyoming and Colorado, and merge in Nebraska. The draft environmental impact statement on the river is an outgrowth of negotiations starting in 1997 among the three states and the federal government on balancing wildlife concerns with growing demands from cities and businesses.
The report's four options include freeing up more water to restore wildlife habitat in amounts ranging from 118,000 acre feet to 185,000 acre feet a year and setting aside up to 29,000 acres of open space in central Nebraska.
An acre foot of water equals about 326,000 gallons, enough water to serve one to two families for a year.
No one option was recommended in the report by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Public comments will be taken on the four options and a final plan is due in April. The three states and the Interior Department are expected to sign a final agreement by June 2005.
Major components of the 13-year program will cost from $50 million to $180 million. The federal government has pledged to pay half of the cost, and the states would split the rest.
Dan Luecke, a consultant for the National Wildlife Federation, said environmental groups support the report. They are waiting, though, for reports from the National Academy of Sciences and a biological assessment by Fish and Wildlife before endorsing a specific plan.
Bob Sakata, who has farmed northeast of Denver for 58 years, predicted a severe impact on agriculture.
"Any extra water that is going beyond our state is going to truly impact the farmers. There's no question about it," Sakata said. "And the drought is going to be the main issue. It's dry, really dry."
The Platte River provides water for about 3.5 million people, irrigates millions of acres of farmland and generates millions of dollars in hydroelectric power in Wyoming, Nebraska and Colorado.
Providing more water for wildlife could result in up to 11,000 fewer irrigated acres and a $4 million loss in crops. A regionwide drought has heightened concerns about the competing uses of the Platte, leading to bans on new wells in parts of Nebraska and legal battles in Colorado between well users and farmers and communities tapping the river.
Using more water for wildlife could reduce recreation at reservoirs in Wyoming and Lake McConaughy in Nebraska, while hunting and birdwatching in central Nebraska likely will benefit.
The three-state negotiations and the environmental impact statement seek to take a big-picture look at the impacts of irrigation, dams and other activities. The alternative of seeking approval for individual projects would be much more time-consuming and costly.
"Most of the water users here in Colorado think the basinwide solution is the best solution all the way around," said Alan Berryman, head of engineering services for the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District in Loveland.
Wyoming Water Development Commission Director Mike Besson said while he has concerns about the plan's effect on water users, he's more concerned about the consequences of not addressing the endangered species issues.
"I'm trying to limit my state's liability and to be proactive to discourage another Klamath," said Besson, referring to Oregon farmers' fight for water in the Klamath River when water was diverted for endangered fish.
Berryman said he and other representatives of the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District will meet with district water users, which include cities and irrigation companies, to explain the proposal.
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