The Platte River

South-Central Great Plains Section of the Great Plains Steppe Province Ecoregion

Conservation Profile

Stresses

Alteration of the river channel, impoundments, groundwater withdrawal, overappropriation, climate change (especially its effects on spring snowmelt)

Partners

Platte River Recovery Implementation Program (FWS)

USGS Platte River Program

Ducks Unlimited

Platte River Basin Environments

Lower Platte River Corridor Alliance

The Nature Conservancy

Platte River Whooping Crane Maintenance Trust

Prairie Plains Resource Institute

University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Fishes of Concern

Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens)

Paddlefish (Polyodon spatula)

Shortnose Gar (Lepisosteus platostomus)

Northern Redbelly Dace (Chrosomus eos)

Finescale Dace (Chrosomus neogaeus)

Western Silvery Minnow (Hybognathus argyritis)

Brassy Minnow (Hybognathus hankinsoni)

Common Shiner (Luxilus cornutus)

Sturgeon Chub (Macrhybopsis gelida)

Shoal Chub (Macrhybopsis hyostoma)

Northern Pearl Dace (Margariscus nachtriebi)

Hornyhead Chub (Nocomis biguttatus)

Emerald Shiner (Notropis atherinoides)

River Shiner (Notropis blennius)

Blacknose Shiner (Notropis heterolepis)

Suckermouth Minnow (Phenacobius mirabilis)

Longnose Sucker (Catostomus catostomus)

River Redhorse (Moxostoma carinatum)

Plains Topminnow (Fundulus sciadicus)

Sauger (Sander canadensis)

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General Description

The Platte River rises near North Platte, Nebraska at the confluence of the North Platte River and the South Platte River. These two sub-basins are geographically distinct from the Platte River, draining the Rocky Mountains of Wyoming and Colorado. As the Missouri River’s largest tributary, the Platte drains a significant portion of the central Great Plains, flowing 499 km eastward across Nebraska, to its confluence with the Missouri. The Platte’s main tributaries are the Loup and Elkhorn rivers.

The Platte River Basin is flanked on its west by 14,000 ft mountain peaks. From the Colorado Piedmont at 6,000 ft, the Great Plains slope eastward down to 1,000 ft (300m) at the Missouri River. Mountain snowmelt and runoff combine with groundwater base flow to comprise the majority of the Platte’s waters.

Platte means “flat”, having been named by two Frenchmen seeking a route from Illinois to Santa Fe. Historically, the river was characterized by a wide, shallow network of silty stream channels or “braids” woven across planar surfaces, through vegetated islands and sandbars. Flow was low for most of the year. Spring floods from melting snow controlled woody vegetation in the braided stream that could be a mile wide in some places.

Identifying Stresses

The silty, braided waters and the wet meadows they feed are significant wildlife resources. The Platte contains critical and essential habitat for multiple endangered and threatened species. The Big Bend Reach, 80 miles of river between Overton and Chapman, is described by the Nature Conservancy as “the most important migratory bird area along the United States portion of the Central Flyway of North America”. In addition to millions of ducks, geese, and other migratory birds, 80% of all sandhill cranes stage along the Platte for several weeks en route to their northern breeding grounds. The extraordinary bird population is supported by a diverse fish community, including four rapidly declining central plains species: the western silvery minnow, plains minnow, flathead chub, and speckled chub. It is “the least degraded habitat remaining for the endangered pallid sturgeon in the central part of the species range” (UFWS). The health of these species is intertwined with the diverse assemblage of invertebrates, amphibians, and reptiles and their Platte habitat.

70% of the Platte’s historical waters have been removed or retimed by dams. An extensive system of reservoirs and wells irrigate the plain’s highly productive agricultural areas and provide to 5 million people, drinking water, flood control, recreation, and hydroelectric power. Modifications to the river channel are the largest threat to the Platte’s unique ecosystems. The network of braided streams and their adjacent riparian areas is dramatically altered. Dams control the spring floods that historically kept woody vegetation in check. The clear water lacking in sediment that the dams discharge results in few or single, straight, incised channels. The width of the floodplain has been reduced and there is a lack of sandbars. Overappropriation, groundwater withdrawal, climate change, and impoundments have changed the flow regime and resulted in a lack of habitat heterogeneity that is essential for wildlife.

Existing Conservation and Research Elements

The Platte River Recovery Implementation Program was formed in 1997 with the goal of enhancing the recovery of four federally listed species (the whooping crane, interior least tern, the piping plover, and the pallid sturgeon) while accommodating water development interests for the people that depend on the Platte basin. Signatories include the states of Colorado, Nebraska, Wyoming, and the Department of the Interior. Water users, environmental, and conservation groups both local and national in origin are involved with advisory committees and governance. Elements of the program include clearing the encroaching woody vegetation, increasing flows, and augmenting sediment volumes.