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4 destroy their critical habitat. Reclamation has agreed to carry out all elements of the reasonable and prudent alternative to avoid the likelihood of jeopardy and adverse modification of critical habitat of the endangered fishes. They also have agreed that the conservation recommendation for the bald eagle is appropriate. PROJECT DESCRIPTION The following project description is based on information provided to the Service in Reclamation's 1995 biological assessment and the Service's 1991 biological opinion. The Project, located in southwest Colorado in La Plata and Montezuma Counties and northwest New Mexico in San Juan County, would divert water from the Animas and La Plata Rivers to annually provide 111,130 acre-feet for full-service and supplemental irrigation use and 80,100 acre-feet for municipal and industrial uses. Project water would be delivered to non-Indians and the Southern Ute Indian and Ute Mountain Ute Tribes, and-the Navajo Nation in both States. Project features include two storage reservoirs, seven pumping plants, and over 200 miles of conveyance canals, conduits, and laterals {Figure l}. Project water designated for the two Colorado Ute Tribes is a part of the settlement of their reserved water rights claims. Under the Colorado Ute Indian Water Rights Final Settlement Agreement {Agreement} of December 10, 1986, water to be supplied from the Project in the amounts set out in the Agreement is to be provided to the tribes in partial settlement of their reserved water rights. The construction and operation of the project has been divided into stepped phases. Phase I, Stage A would develop an initial water sUFply of 80,100 acre-feet, which would result in an average annual depletion of 57,100 acre-feet. The Service's 1991 biological opinion for this project contained a reasonable and prudent alternative that limits the project's maximum annual depletion3 to 57,100 acre-feet until the end of the 7-year research program. Stage A facilities would include: Durango Pumping Plant, Ridges Basin Inlet Conduit, Ridges Basin Dam and Reservoir, Ridges Basin Recreation Facilities, a small Ridges Basin Pumping Plant, and the Shenandoah, La Plata Rural, and Durango M&I Pipelines. The completion of Phase I, Stage A, would provide M&I water to the two Ute Tribes, the Navajo Nation, the San Juan Water Commission, the City of Durango, the Animas-La Plata Water Conservancy District {future development supply}, and to the La Plata Rural and Shenandoah M&I Pipelines. The La Plata Rural Pipeline would supply 2,000 acre-feet of municipal water to residents in the La Plata River drainage. 2An average annual depletion is the amount of water depleted each year averaged over a number of years {in this case 1929 - 1989}. Some years depletions will be greater than the average and other years they would be less. 3A maximum annual depletion is a depletion amount that can not be exceeded in any year.