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C) (-;) '-.) I'.i) U1 U1 DR P.. l"'r ~ff~\ff~ of excess water from the Four Corners Power Plant is returned to the San Juan River via Chaco Wash. Additional return flows enter the San Juan River from irrigation and municipal diversions, the La Plata River. the Mancos River. McElmo Creek, and Montezuma Creek. There are five diversion structures in New Mexico on the mainstem of the San Juan River downstream from Farmington. Each is a potential barrier to fish movement, particularly during low flow periods. The diversion structures range from soil-and-boulder dikes to concrete weirs over which the entire river flows, The most upstream of these obstructions is a boulder and debris levee located just above the confluence of the San Juan and La Plata rivers and diverts water into Fruitland Irrigation Ditch. The next diversion is located just downstream of Fruitland. The entire river passes over this structure, except at flows above 10,000 cfs, when a portion of the river flows around the weir and may allow upstream movement of fish. The Four Corners Power Plant pump station is located 3 miles downstream of the concrete weir at Fruitland. The Hogback diversion was passable by fish until September, 1987 when it was reconstructed and diverted most of the flow into the Hogback canal during low flow conditions. The most downstream diversion, at Cudei, is the only one below Shiprock. Given the common goal of protecting endangered fish and their habitats while allowing continued water resource development, a comprehensive program is needed to accommodate both. All parties recognize that both the biological requirements of the rare fishes and the management of San Juan River 8asin waters are complex. Therefore. a broad range of measures are proposed, herein, to allow a cooperative effort for recovering the species and the eventual delisting under the Endangered Species Act. 8