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'~, . . . .~. Phase I, Stage B - Operation Phase I, Stage B, the completion of Phase I, would provide Project M&I and irrigation water at Ridges Basin Reservoir for the two Colorado Ute Tribes and irrigation facilities and water to serve most of the non-Indian and Southern Ute Indian Tribal Project lands. It would also provide the entire non-lndiM M&I water supply. This operation assumes that M&I water supplies and unused irrigation water for the Ute Mountain Ute and Southern Ute Indian Tribes would be stored in and delivered from Ridges Basin Reservoir, and that the Tribes could develop and market their water from the reservoir as described in Phase 1, Stage A. The delivery ofM&1 water to the city of Durango and the rural subdivisions west of Durango, via Durango and Shenandoah M&I Pipelines, respectively, would be operated in the same way as in Phase I, Stage A. However, water supplied for the La Plata rural water users would be delivered via Dry Side Canal to a point along the canal near the Red Mesa Pumping Plant instead of through La Plata Rural M&I Pipeline as described in Phase I, Stage A. During Phase I, Stage B, lands scheduled to receive supplemental water in New Mexico (which would be served by the Southern Ute Pumping Plant in Phase II) would be provided a full irrigation supply through existing irrigation facilities. Also, lands in New Mexico that in Phase II would be . served by a gravity-fed lateral from the New Mexico Irrigation Canal would be served by the Southern Ute Interim Irrigation Canal. However, as a result of additional studies conducted since the DSFES was filed, 1,512 acres of proposed full-service lands in New Mexico have been removed from the Project because of return flow water quality concerns (1,242 acres in Phase I, Stage B and 270 acres in Phase II). The average yearly water supply to the La Plata, New Mexico, area would be reduced by approximately 3,860 acre-feet as a result of removing the 1,512 acres. This would reduce New Mexico's Colorado River Compact water allocation needed by the Project by 3,860 acre-feet. This water would be available for other uses in New Mexico. At Durango Pumping Plant, Animas River flows would be diverted as shown on table 4. More flow would be diverted than in Phase I, Stage A on the average but minimum flow criteria would still be applied as described in Phase I, Stage A. Minimum historical flows would be increased as described in Phase I, Stage A. When compared with historical stream flows, flows on the La Plata River downstream from Dry Side Canal would be moderately increased as a result of water released into the river from Dry Side Canal and Project return flows from M&I and agricultural use. Sections of the river currently dewatered during the irrigation season by eJ{isting historical diversions would experience year- round flows. Table 5 shows the flow comparisons with the historical monthly flow pattern at the Colorado-New Mexico State line U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) gaging station. 29