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<br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />GJ WorkiD& FIi~ Copy <br />NEW MEXICO INTERSTATE STREAM COMMISSION <br /> <br />COMMISSION M!;MBl:RS <br /> <br />flil <br />~ <br /> <br />BATAAN MEMORIAL BUILDING, ROOM 101 <br />STATE CAPITOL <br />POST OFFICE BOX 25102 <br />SANTA FE. NEW MEXICO 87504.5102 <br /> <br />JIM DUNLAP, Chairman, FGrmlngton <br />J. "'HELPS WHITE, Ill, Vice~ChCllrm8". RC8'WBII <br />JOHN R. O' ANTONIO. JR.. P.E.. So"'etorv. Sont. Fo <br />BUFORD HARRIS, M..III. <br />BLANE SANCHEZ. leloto <br />JULIA DAVIS STAFFORD. Clma"on <br />PATRICIO GARCIA. Rio Ch.rno <br />JUDITH M, ESPINOSA. AlbuquorQuo <br />JAMES WILCOX. Corl.bad <br /> <br />............... .....~" <br />\1;1....""10&0.-.......... <br /> <br />FAX:(506IB27.618B <br /> <br />February 19, 2004 <br /> <br /> <br />Ms. Carol DeAngelis, Area Manager <br />Bureau of Reclamation <br />Western Colorado Area Office <br />2764 Compass Drive, Suite 106 <br />Grand Junction, Colorado 81506-8785 <br /> <br />te: <br /> <br />'Y..-o~cv-{ t1-.s7 <br /> <br />(J vttMr 0 90- <br />(;J A-(2 n "'^-- ;FI '" C",II1'- <br />Ur.~t1 ~J <br /> <br />Dear Ms, DeAngelis: <br /> <br />The New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission (Commission) offers the following comments <br />on the Draft Biological Opinion for Navajo. Reservoir Operations, Colorado River Storage <br />Project, Colorado-New Mexico-Utah (Draft 9pi~i6n). . The DraftOpinion"was not dated, but <br />was transmitted to .you by. letter dated January 26. 2004, by Ms. .Joy Nicholopoulcis of the Fish <br />andWildlifeService(Service),'.. .:,::,... ...~...~, .. ...~.: ..: ..... C:.".". " .",.:.,', <br />. . ",'., I -a' "' ., .",". '. . . <br /> <br />. ." <br />Flow Recommendations for the Sari Juan River <br /> <br />",,, <br /> <br />The 1991 Biological Opinion for the Animas-La Plata Project requires as a reasonable and <br />prudent alternative to avoid jeopardy to Colorado pikeminnow and razorback sucker the <br />. operation of Navajo Dam to mimic a natural hydrograph and provide flows needed to conserve <br />populations of endangered fish species in the San Juan River. In addition, the San Juan River <br />Basin Recovery Implementation Program (Program) was formulated in 1992 to conduct <br />research as to determining the flows in the San Juan River that would provide for conservation <br />of the endangered species in the river. The research period of the Program ended in 1998. <br /> <br />Also in 1998, the Program adopted flow recommendations for the San Juan River from its <br />confluence with the Animas River downstream to Lake Powell. The Biology Committee of the <br />Program at that time determined that providing the recommended flows would result in habitat <br />conditions needed to conserve populations of Colorado pikeminnow and razorback sucker in <br />the San Juan River consistent w.ith t~e recovery goals of the Endangered Species Act (Act), <br />The Service is a Program participant and voted to adopt the recommendations, and the <br />Coordination. Comm.ittee::o( the Program adopted them. Consequently, the Bureau of <br />Reclamation (Reclamation).' initi.ated th!=!.. p,rt?cess of devel9ping ar"1 Envirof)mental. Impact <br />Statement (EIS) on. a proposal to operate Navajo Dam to 'meet the flow recommendations, or a <br />reasonable alternative to the flow. reCommendations. The proposal was. made. to. provide <br />compliance with the Act for federal water development and water management activities in the <br /> <br />OOU6;~ <br /> <br />8ES-; 810/600.d ESS-l <br /> <br />IOS08VZOL6 NOI1~Nnr am~ ~,O V3~V O~ N~31S3M ~ag,-WOJ, .OSZ:80 jlOOZ-60-'"~ <br />