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  Wastewater Issues
Drinking Water
Drinking water plan
to protect source for 3 million
GREEN RIVER, WY — Water storage
in Wyoming's Pathfinder Dam would be increased under a basin-wide,
three-state recovery program for the Platte River unveiled by federal
officials, the Casper Star-Tribune reported.
The Bureau of Reclamation
and the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) released for review
the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Platte River
Recovery Implementation Program Jan. 23. The Platte River provides
drinking water for more than 3 million people, according to the
paper.
Environmentalists lauded
the draft plan as a critical step in protecting the whooping crane
and other species.
Federal officials believe
the proposed guidelines will allow hundreds of existing water projects
and activities in the Platte River basin to continue under the umbrella
of one environmental document, precluding the need for numerous
specific environmental assessments that would be required under
the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the article said.
Under all of the alternatives,
Colorado, Nebraska and Wyoming would each provide a water project
aimed at increasing water storage capacity. Together, the three
state projects would increase target flows by roughly 80,000-acre
feet on an annual average basis.
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