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At',' f!""'" U~'j~v .:;;0 Wetland Mitigation A- 7 An annual report will be prepared and circulated to Reclamation, the COE, EPA, FWS and CDOW, after each of the project's first through fourth years of operation. These reports will include: . flows at various river locations; . flows broken down as project or non-project related; . summaries of transect-based and aerial monitoring results; . general trends; and . estimated net benefits or losses. If a net loss of wetland or woody/riparian vegetation is observed, this will lead to more in-depth analysis, consultation, and potentially mitigation. For wetlands, the analysis will include an assessment of functional losses, so that appropriate action can be taken. Functional losses will be evaluated with HOM, HEP, WET-2, or similar methods approved by the Corps and Reclamation. Cottonwoods and willow losses will be estimated by approximate stem count or areal coverage. The reports will be coordinated with separate analyses of channel stability, bank erosion and protection site performance conducted under other monitoring plans. The CDOW, in 404 public notice consultation, suggested that a meeting be held between the Sponsors and interested agencies to discuss Uncompahgre River issues on an annual basis. The Sponsors would be willing to host such a meeting, say approximately a month after each annual report is circulated. After the fifth year of project operation, a comprehensive report will be prepared. This report will summarize the findings of the annual studies, determine net impacts, and forecast future effects. If a net adverse impact is identified or predicted, appropriate mitigation will be discussed and proposed. A.2.6 Duration of Monitoring Program Monitoring will continue through the later of the project's fifth year of operations or the point at which significant project-related changes to channel morphology have ceased. The five-year report will include recommendations for monitoring requirements in the future. If no net adverse impacts have occurred and none are reasonably predicted to occur after that, then the amount of future monitoring will be reduced. The Sponsors will obtain concurrence from Reclamation and the Corps prior to making any significant changes in the overall program. A.3 Wetlands Mitigation A.3.1 Predicted Impacts Project impacts break down into two general categories: Direct and Indirect. Direct impacts include those associated with placing fill (riprap) in wetlands, and construction- AB Lateral Hydropower Project July 2000 ( -, . :f h... .."",.~_ ,kJ