The Platte Watershed is an ecologically and economically diverse drainage basin that covers more than 86,000 square miles in Colorado, Wyoming, and Nebraska. The Platte River is the major hydrologic unit in the watershed.
It provides surface water irrigation for thousands or agricultural producers in Colorado, Wyoming, and Nebraska. These agricultural producers and their surrounding communities are highly dependent on this water for their economic livelihood. Many urban and rural municipalities also rely on the watershed for domestic and industrial uses and are dependent on the Platte's flows for sustainable economic development.
The Central Platte region, from Lexington to Grand Island has also been designated as a critical habitat area for the whooping crane, and also serves as habitat for several other threatened and endangered species including the least tern, piping plover, bald eagle, and peregrine falcon. The Central Platte region also provides habitat for numerous species of migratory birds and waterfowl, including an estimated half-million sandhill cranes and seven to eleven million ducks and geese.
The hydrologic management of the Platte River is currently being evaluated to determine how and if, the system can provide water for its multiple uses. The on-going evaluation of how this scarce resource should be allocated has uncovered several complex and unresolved ecological and economic issues that may adversely affect the preservation of critical habitat and the economic sustainability of the watershed.
Last updated on 7.2.98