FISH AND WILDLIFE MITIGATION AND ENHANCEMENT PLAN

Transcription

1 NISP FISH AND WILDLIFE MITIGATION AND ENHANCEMENT PLAN Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission June 9, 2017 NISP Northern Integrated Supply Project

2 A Better Poudre River A new regional water supply project and a healthier Poudre River Corridor can coexist How will NISP make the Poudre River better? Year-round base flows, no dry-up points from canyon mouth through Fort Collins Increased habitat and habitat connectivity Tailwater fishery Monitoring and adaptive management How will NISP make the Poudre River Corridor better? New flat water recreation at Glade Seed opportunity for regional wildlife habitat conservation at Glade Seed opportunity for new SWA at Poudre/S. Platte confluence

3 NISP A Regional Cooperative Participant Driven Project

4 How NISP Works Click in box to start video

5 How much is an acre-foot? How much is a cubic foot per second (cfs)? One cfs is 7 ½ one-gallon milk jugs passing a point per second Photo courtesy stadium.colostate.edu An ac-ft covers a football field 1-foot deep The Poudre River average flow rate is about 350 cfs, and ranges between 0 and 10,000 cfs A family of 4 uses about ¾ of an ac-ft per year ~ 8 cfs Photo courtesy netnebraska.org The Poudre River flows about 255,000 ac-ft per year, and ranges between 95,000 and 384,000 ac-ft per year ~2,200 cfs

6 Key Facts 40,000 ac-ft firm yield Grey Mountain decree SPWCP exchanges Total storage = 215,000 ac-ft Glade Reservoir = 170,000 ac-ft Galeton Reservoir = 45,000 ac-ft $860 million Includes conveyance Glade Reservoir = 170,000 ac-ft Glade Reservoir Complex Galeton Reservoir = 40,000 ac-ft South Platte Water Conservation Project

7 Glade Reservoir 280-foot tall zonedearth-fill dam Material all on-site Approximately 22 million cubic yards Separate inlet and outlet works 35,000 HP pump station HW 287 relocation 7 miles 2-lane with 200 ft. Rock Cut

8 SPWCP Partnership with ag instead of buy and dry South Platte pump station 200 cfs 16,000 HP pump station Ditch company exchange New Cache Larimer-Weld Maximum delivery 100 cfs each kaf/year (1/5 of present diversions) Approx. 1/3 of total cost

9 Schedule Permitting State Fish and Wildlife Mitigation and Enhancement Plan: Sept 2017 Larimer County IGA: 2017 (pipeline alignments, recreation at Glade Reservoir) Final EIS: 2017 / Certification: 2018 Record-Of-Decision / 404 Permit: 2018 Design and Construction Glade Design: U.S. 287 Realignment: Glade Construction: SPWCP Implementation: Operations Begin Fill 2025

10 Conservation All Participants have, or are currently developing, CWCB approved water conservation plans Since 2000, NISP participants have reduced water use by approximately 27 percent (1.7 percent per year) NISP participants gpcd compares very favorably with other similarly sized western water providers NISP Weighted Average (gpcd) Per Capita Withdrawls (gallons) NISP Average * Data does not include NISP participants Lewiston Great Falls Casper Cheyenne Ft Collins-Loveland Area* Boise City-Nampa Area Utah Study Average Pueblo Pocatello Logan

11 Mitigation - History and Status Draft EIS (2008) General mitigation commitments Supplemental Draft EIS (2015) Conceptual Mitigation Plan State of Colorado Fish and Wildlife Mitigation and Enhancement Plan (FWMEP) CRS Developed by NW through discussions with DNR and CPW staff Approved by Wildlife Commission and CWCB Final EIS Will incorporate FWMEP Additional commitments not covered by FWMEP 404 permit mitigation NEPA commitments 401 certification water quality commitments Record of Decision / 404 Permit

12 NISP FWMEP Approved for proposal to the Commission by the NISP Participant Committee on Monday, June 5 Culmination of nearly 2 years of discussions with CPW staff Detailed description of proposal Mitigation Plan Enhancement Plan Table A-1 Summary of mitigation/enhancement actions Table A-2 SDEIS effects crossreferenced with mitigation actions Estimated FWMEP costs = $53.0 Mitigation = $40.2 million Enhancement = $12.8 million Estimated total mitigation/ enhancement costs = $59 million

13 Site Commitments - Glade Recreation/public Access New Glade Reservoir fishery Habitat protection/land acquisition Sensitive species avoidance Wetlands/preble s habitat * FWMEP Summary Streamflow Commitments Avoid NISP diversions at Munroe Existing low flow commitments Conveyance refinement Peak Flow mitigation Temperature mitigation WQ monitoring Coalition for Poudre River Watershed Stream Channel Commitments Stream channel plan Stream channel improvements Riparian vegetation mitigation Multi-objective diversion structures Adaptive management Site Commitments - SPWCP Cooperative land acquisition Constructed WQ wetlands near Greeley Potential for native fish rearing in Galeton SPWCP water quality monitoring * * Not part of FWMEP

14 Mitigation Cost Estimate Mitigation Measures Capitalized Cost Enhancement Measures Capitalized Cost Aquatic Life and Stream Morphology $3.4 M Aquatic Life and Stream Morphology $11.1 M Streamflow Commitments $24.5 M Streamflow Commitments $0.0 M Noxious Weeds $0.0 M Recreation $0.2 M Recreation $1.5 M Terrestrial Wildlife $0.8 M Riparian Vegetation $0.4 M Water Quality $0.8 M Special Status Species $1.6 M Subtotal - Enhancement $12.8 M Terrestrial Wildlife $3.7 M Water Quality $5.1 M Subtotal - Mitigation $40.2 M Total (Mitigation + Enhancement) $53.0 M

15 Mitigation Conveyance Refinement Deliver a portion of NISP yield via Poudre River 18 cfs winter 25 cfs summer Release near canyon mouth, intake east of Fort Collins Minimization, avoidance and enhancement Eliminates dry-up points Provides reliable base flow $24.5 million

16 Effects on Streamflow Overall Monthly Average Current Conditions With NISP (SDEIS) Conveyance Refinement* Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Avg Total (ac-ft) 108,200 85,500 97,400 Dry-Year Monthly Average Current Conditions With NISP (SDEIS) Conveyance Refinement* Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Avg Total (ac-ft) 37,900 32,200 43,500 * Blue highlights indicate months when conveyance refinement flow exceeds current conditions

17 Key Metrics Minimum flows in the range of cfs (from WUA curves) 100% Percent of Years with Average Winter Flow >= 25 cfs at Lincoln St. Gage 92% 50% 27% 46% 0% Current Conditions With NISP (SDEIS) Conveyance Refinement

18 Key Metrics No dry-up points (Fort Collins River Health Assessment Framework) 100% Percent of Days with Flow >= 1 cfs below Larimer-Weld 98% 100% 64% 50% 0% Current Conditions With NISP (SDEIS) Conveyance Refinement

19 Key Metrics Daily average minimum flow of 20 cfs (Fort Collins River Health Assessment Framework) 100% Percent of Days with Flow >= 20 cfs at Lincoln Street Gage 97% 50% 52% 63% 0% Current Conditions With NISP (SDEIS) Conveyance Refinement

20 Mitigation Peak Flow Operations Tiered Operations (general description) Tier 1 - Glade Reservoir>76% capacity, likely to fill Tier 2 Glade Reservoir > 50%, no bypasses in previous year Tier 3 Non Tier 1 or Tier 2 Peak Flow Bypass Tier 1 bypass diversions for 3 days Tier 2 - volumetrically limited bypass (up to 1,800 ac-ft) to meet 2,800 cfs, up to 3 days Tier 3 - no bypass Extended Tier 3 opportunistic bypass (adaptive management) Bypasses will occur in 2/3 of years Cache la Poudre at Overland Trail Rd 5/29/2015, ~2,100 cfs

21 Peak Flow Recurrence Intervals Canyon Gage Flow (cfs) Recurrence Interval (years) With Peak Flow Operation Observed With NISP Program 1-day average flow of 2,800 cfs day average flow of 2,800 cfs

22 Mitigation/Enhancement Poudre River Channel and habitat improvements Channel habitat & improvement plan 2.4 miles of channel improvements Riparian vegetation improvements at 5 sites Diversion reconstruction and 4 multi-objective retrofits Low flow conveyance Fish passage Channel connectivity Adaptive management $10.1 million Multi-objective Diversion Structure with Fish Passage

23 Mitigation/Enhancement Wildlife Big-game wildlife U.S. 287 game crossings Habitat conservation west of Glade Reservoir (~1,400 acres) Adaptive management Protect other sensitive birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles $4.5 million

24 Mitigation/Enhancement Recreation/Fishing Recreational fishing (Glade) Cool water stocking plan by CPW Currently investigating recreation management opportunities Fishing Motorized boating Possible camping (difficult site conditions) Access to State Land Board land Parking and visitor s center Adaptive management Facilities at SPWCP/ Mitani-Tokuyasu SWA Improve facilities Partially fund new land acquisition $5.9 million Walleye caught at Cherry Creek State Park Horsetooth Reservoir Recreation

25 Mitigation Water Quality Construction features Multi-level outlet tower Release structure aeration Stream temperature mitigation and adaptive management Mercury bioaccumulation mitigation Eaton Draw constructed wetlands Streamflow and water quality monitoring Funding for Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed $5.8 million Carter Lake multi-level outlet tower Maximum Weekly Average Temperature, Canyon Gage

26 Mitigation Non FWMEP Commitments Glade Reservoir wetlands Preble s meadow jumping mouse habitat mitigation (federal) Wetlands mitigation (federal) Investigate hydropower opportunities Protect and compensate farmers for SPWCP operations Preble s Meadow Jumping Mouse (USFWS) Weld County Onion Harvest (Greeley Tribune)

27 The Process has Worked Effects of NISP have been extensively studied 13-year EIS process Participants have spent $18 Million on environmental studies Corps utilized top environmental experts in state and nation as 3 rd party consultants FWMEP is a result of extensive CPW input Informal discussion since 2002 Draft & Supplemental Draft EIS comments Nearly 2 years of focused FWMEP discussions FWMEP will result in a Better Poudre River Water supply and a healthy river can coexist Streamflow and environmental mitigation and enhancements Wildlife habitat conservation, recreation

28 Additional Information FWMEP document on Website FWMEP public open house Tuesday, June 27, 4:00 to 7:30 p.m. First National Bank Building, The Ranch, Loveland Northern Water Contacts Brian Werner, PIO Jerry Gibbens, NISP Mitigation Manager Carl Brouwer, NISP Project Manager