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'- . i Resources and Impacts The major tributary to the San Juan in the project area is the Animas River which joins the river at Farmington. The primary water source for both rivers are the San Juan and LaPlata Mountains in Colorado. South of the San Juan River, the region is characterized by desert topography; broad dry washes carry significant sediment loads during periodic thunderstorm events. The project area is semi-arid to arid; the major part of the basin is less than 6,000 feet in elevation and receives less than 8 inches of precipitation annually. Vegetation ranges from pinon-juniper areas around Navajo Reservoir to desert shrubs and grasses around the lower San Juan River. The San Juan River corridor supports riparian species such as cottonwood trees, willow, and non-native salt cedar and Russian olive. Major towns and communities include Farmington at the confluence with the Animas; and Bloomfield, Blanco, and Archuleta upstream and Fruitland, Shiprock, Bluff, Utah, and Mexican Hat, Utah, downstream from Farmington. Energy development, agriculture, and tourism and recreation are important industries in the area. In particular, agriculture and recreation are closely related to Navajo Reservoir and its release patterns in the San Juan River. Bluff and Mexican Hat are tourism and recreation dependent, mostly involving rafting and cultural visitation. These two activities, in may cases, occur as a result of each other. People visit the area to participate in one activity and end up enjoying the other. There are diversion structures for irrigation, municipal, and industrial uses of water both upstream and downstream from Farmington and these diversions support a large segment. of the local and regional economy. The water rights for these diversions total approximately 230 cfs, but these rights have not been administered closely in the past. A significant tail water trout fishery exists for approximately 7 miles downstream from Navajo Dam. A commercial-guide industry has developed around the fishery, with guided "walk and wade" trips and float-fishing trips. The city of Farmington owns and operates the Navajo Hydropower facility at Navajo Dam. Other important resources are associated with Navajo Reservoir and the San Juan River including wetlands and riparian habitat, wildlife, and Indian Trust Assets (ITAs). Within the San Juan River Basin, IT As have been identified for four federally recognized tribes: the Navajo Nation, the Jicarilla Apache Nation, the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe. The types of IT As that could potentially be affected by this action are water rights. The immediate area of impact lies in the San Juan Basin, an area well known for its archaeology and contemporarylhistorical Native American culture. Nearby cultural/archaeological features include Mesa Verde National Park, Aztec Ruins National Monument, Salmon Ruins, and the Navajo and Ute Mountain Indian Reservations. Known cultural traditions include the Archaic (3,000 to 500 B.C.), the Anasazi (A.D. 1-1300), the Navajo/Ute Settlement Period (A.D. 1450- 1870) and Euroamerican settlement (A.D. 1870- Present). A number of contemporary Native 5