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<br />Bureau of Reclamation <br /> <br />7"/" /P" :ate. <br />r.;. 6i I <br />res' <br /> <br />''';',It-i.~:'j;ic~,,,:';~OO:i>'~''~''['''''i . ,'. . <br />~~~ _! '.%~"'~'ti":h'~"_ - ~-",,~~j~~f1t': ,,1~~:1~,-tt:..i~ '_ , <br />'~ . - ..: '--- ' ' :;',"', . '--' :-'";'-',' - -" - ,'" . , -'- -.: . <br /> <br />rj... . r <br /> <br />Upper Colorado Region , <br /> <br /> <br />News Release <br /> <br />-' <br /> <br />Salt Lake City, utah <br />Barry D. Wirth (801) 524-5403 <br />For Release September 28, 1990 <br /> <br />RECLAMATION RESPONDS TO U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE <br />DRAF'l' BIOLOGICAL OPINION ON ANIMAS-LA PLATA PROJECT <br /> <br />The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) has responded to the <br /> <br />draft biological opinion of the u.s. Fish and Wildlife Service <br /> <br />(USFWS) concerning the effects of the Animas-La Plata water <br /> <br />project on endangered fish in the San Juan River system. In a <br /> <br />draft.opinion_provided last spring under theauthority_.of Section <br /> <br />7 of the Endangered Species Act, USFWS stated that the project <br /> <br />would jeopardize the endangered Colorado squawfish. That opinion <br /> <br />J ~ft ~onstructionof the -project-i.nquestion. <br /> <br />The response, which comes after a series of meetings <br />throughout the past summer between the two Interior Department <br />agencies, provides a process which may lead to a final biological <br />opinion from the USFWS providing for a reasonable and prudent <br />alternative for the protection of the endangered fish. If these <br />measures are acceptable to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, <br />USFWS could then issue a final biOlogical opinion and <br />construction of a portion of the Animas-La Plata Project could <br />begin. . <br /> <br />The proposed alternative will likely have the following <br />three elements: <br />(1) A S-year research project utilizing operational <br />flexibility of Navajo Reservoir. Additional water <br />management and supply measures would be investigated to <br />provide increased water, if needed, for the Colorado <br />squawfish. <br />(2) A San Juan River Basin Endangered Fishes Recovery <br />proqram would be initiated. The program would be <br />similar to an existing program on the Green and <br />Colorado Rivers in Utah, Wyoming, and Colorado. <br />(3) The reasonable and prudent alternative would include <br />construction of Ridges Basin Reservoir, Durango Pumping <br />Plant, and inlet pipeline. <br />