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<br />.. <br /> <br />10/29/97 14: 14 <br /> <br />C303 245 6933 <br /> <br />FISH & WILDLIFE ~~~ CO REC PROG-DEN <br /> <br />~002 <br /> <br />BIOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT FOR: <br /> <br />Colorado squawfish <br />Humpback chub <br />Bony tail <br />Razorback sucker <br />Bald eagle <br />Osterhout milk-vetch <br />Penland beardtongue <br /> <br />Pcychocheilus lucius <br />Gila cypha <br />Gila. elegans <br />Xyrauchen texanus <br />H~liaeetus leucocephalus <br />Astragalus osterhoutii <br />Penstemon penland!! <br /> <br />Federal Action <br />Issuance of an amended Record of Decision and Section 404 permit <br />due to permit modifications for Wolford Mountain Reservoir, Grand <br />County, Colorado. Changes that have occurred requiring <br />reconsultation include an additional 6,000 acre-ft of storage and <br />a marketing policy for the West Slope component of the reservoir. <br />'rhe reservoi'r was originally consulted for '50;-00-0 acre::ft of ,.- <br />water in 1990. <br /> <br />Affected Action Area <br />Wolford Mountain Reservoir is about 4 miles north of the town of <br />Kremmling, Colorado. Muddy Creek enters the Colorado River at <br />Kremmling, below the confluence of the Blue River and just <br />upstream of Gore Canyon. <br /> <br />Potential Effects of the proposed Action on the Listed SPecies <br /> <br />Osterhout milk-vetch: Raising the Wolford Mountain Reservoir <br />water level is expected to result in no additional impacts to <br />Osterhout milk-vetch beyond what was identified in the original <br />Biological Opinion for the reservoir. The original February 7, <br />1990, BiOlOgical Opinion for Osterhout milk-vetch analyzed <br />impacts and recommended mitigation for lost plants and habitat up <br />to the 7,500 foot water elevation. The current proposed action <br />is to raise the water level to 7,489, a level which remains <br />eleven feet below the 7,500 level analyzed in the original <br />Biological Opinion. <br /> <br />penland beardtongue: Penland beardtongue'does not occur within <br />six miles of the Muddy Creek drainage and Wolford Mountain <br />Reservoir project. Therefore, there will be no impacts to <br />Penland beard tongue from the proposed action. <br /> <br />Bald Eagle: Bald eagles are expected to benefit from the <br />reservoir, as identified in the original Biological opinion. <br />Open water in Muddy Creek due to Wolford Mountain Reservoir's <br />releases should make fish available to bald eagles during the <br />winter. <br /> <br />HUmpback chub. Colorado squawfish, Bonytail, Razorback sucker: <br />Impacts to the above listed fish are expected to be positive. <br />The entire additional 6,000 acre-foot pool will be dedicated for <br />