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Thursday, 07 December 2006 |
 SPWRAP: you've read about it, you've heard about - so what exactly is it?
Water users in the Platte River basin have been in limbo for many years about endangered species issues in Nebraska. In September, the Secretary of the Interior signed off on a $300 million dollar plan ("the 3-States Agreement") to improve the habitat for the whooping crane, interior least tern, piping plover, and pallid sturgeon. All of the habitat improvement projects will be located in central Nebraska.
To finance these improvements, each State (Wyoming, Nebraska and Colorado) has to cough up their share. Colorado's bill comes to $24 million, and most of the bill will be paid by municipal entities. However, irrigated agriculture will need to contribute to the effort as well.
Colorado has developed a clever voluntary program to get the bill paid. By joining the new SPWRAP (South Platte Water Related Activities Program, Inc.) organization and paying your annual dues, you can be assured that your federal permits will not be held up due to issues related to threatened and endangered species. While Section 404 permits (Army Corps of Engineers dredge and fill) are the most likely to trigger wildlife concerns, there is the possibility that agricultural assistance programs could someday become triggers as well. Once the feds determine that you have an obligation to the protection program in Nebraska, you'll be forced into SPWRAP in order to get your permit, and you'll have to pay all past dues to get caught up.
The cost for a 10,000-acre ditch company will be about $300/year.
Ditch companies in the Platte Basin in Colorado should carefully consider the benefits of joining SPWRAP. Keep reading for more details.
The South Platte Water Related Activities Program, Inc. (SPWRAP) is a Colorado nonprofit corporation that has been formed for Colorado water users that wish to participate in the Platte River Recovery Implementation Program (Platte Program) to address issues raised under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Membership in SPWRAP is voluntary, but is the exclusive means by which individual water users may participate in the Platte Program (sometimes referred to as the 3-States Agreement) and thereby be afforded the benefits of ESA compliance for their water projects (old and new).
Many water users may never have to confront ESA Section 7 compliance because they may never need a federal permit or federal assistance for their activities. The most common types of federal permits needed for construction, enlargement, operation, maintenance and repair of water facilities are:
- 404 permits (individual or nationwide) from the Corps of Engineers
- U.S. Forest Service and BLM special use authorizations
- USBR and COE water facilities operations and contracts
Other permit needs or requirements may arise in the future. It is possible that federal funding under agricultural assistance programs could at some future date require ESA compliance.
SPWRAP is formed to represent water users in the Platte Program process and be the water user contact point for Platte ESA issues in Colorado. The majority of SPWRAP member funding is designed to come from municipal entities (about 99%), but other user type organizations are encouraged to become members. The initial yearly membership fee for agricultural ditch and reservoir companies to belong to SPWRAP is 3 cents per irrigated acre. Entities can become members now or at a future date. Entities which become members in the future will have to pay for all past costs as if they had been members since the first year.
SPWRAP is just beginning as an organization and does not have any staff. At present you can get additional information by calling Kevin Urie at 303-628-5987, Austin Hamre at 303-779-0200, or Alan Berryman at 970-532-7700.
DARCA will continue to report on the program as it gets underway.
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