Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 96 Part 2.djvu/271

 PUBLIC LAW 97-338—OCT. 15, 1982 Public Law 97-388 97th Congress

96 STAT. 1633

An Act

To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate with the State of Nebraska in studies of Platte River water resource use and development, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Secretary of the Interior is hereby authorized to engage in a special study to assist the State of Nebraska in establishing water resource conservation and development priorities, consistent with constitutional and statutory provisions of the State of Nebraska, in the Platte River Basin from the western border of the State of Nebraska to the confluence of the Platte and Missouri Rivers. The purposes of the study shall be to— (a) determine the availability of water resources within the basin; (b) identify, define, and quantify the existing and foreseeable intrabasin and interbasin demands on such resources within the State of Nebraska (including irrigation, ground water stabilization and recharge, enhancement of water quality, small community and rural domestic water supplies, management of fish and wildlife habitat, public outdoor recreation, preservation of scenic qualities, flood control, hydroelectric power development, municipal and industrial water supplies, and such other demands as the study may identify); (c) identify, evaluate, and estimate costs for alternative methods of meeting the identified water demands, including but not limited to withdrawals from the Platte River, groundwater pumping, water conservation, and improved water management; and (d) resolve the identified conflicts by making specific recommendations on the full and best utilization of the available water supply, including a priority ranking for implementing recommended water conservation and development projects. SEC. 2. The special study authorized by section 1 of this Act shall be a Federal-State study conducted jointly by the Bureau of Reclamation and the Nebraska Natural Resources Commission. The broadly constituted study body responsible for making the recommendations required by section 1 shall consist of such citizens, representatives of agricultural, environmental and development groups, State and local officials, and Federal agency representatives as the Governor of Nebraska and the Secretary shall jointly determine. Federal agencies invited to participate shall include, but not be limited to, the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Environmental Protection Agency. The special study authorized by section 1 of this Act shall be completed within thirty months after funds are first appropriated under this Act. SEC. 3. (a) There is hereby authorized to be appropriated the sum of $350,000 to carry out section 1 of this Act. One-half of this sum shall be made available as a grant to the Nebraska Natural Re-

Oct. 15, 1982 [H.R. 6188] Platte River, Nebr. Federal-State study.

Study completion. Appropriation authorization.

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