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<br />_.( 1.' <br /> <br />- 5 - <br /> <br />At least some of us from Colorado found the New Mexico draft to be <br />unsatisfactory because it provided for spring release of water from <br />Ridges Basin Reservoir for fish, and for 500 cfs flows downstream <br />from Navajo Dam. See Appendix B. There is not sufficient water avail- <br />able from Navajo Reservoir to permit a minimum release of 500 cfs and <br />also provide for all future depletions of water. The use of water <br />from Ridges Basin Reservoir to maintain a fishery in the San Juan <br />River raises several questions of importance to Colorado. Filling <br />and use of the reservoir is part of Colorado's compact entitlement to <br />use of water. The stored water in Ridges Basin Reservoir belongs to <br />water user beneficiaries. Whose water is to be released? Fish are <br />not primary beneficiaries of the A-LP. They would be replacing other <br />project beneficiaries, Would the Definite Plan Report and EIS have <br />to be reformulated if Ridges is used for fishery recovery? Would <br />reformulation lead to a new section 7 consultation? Would releases <br />of water for fish reduce the recreational benefits and values of the <br />reservoir? Once Ridges Basin Reservoir is in place and filled, and <br />prior to construction of A-LP irrigation facilities, perhaps some of <br />.its stored water could be used for fishery releases, provided that <br />an iro~lad agreement could be executed that would guarantee the water <br />would be available for the A-LP irrigation when needed. Would such <br />usage provide opponents a precedent and another reason for not building <br />the irrigation facilities? <br /> <br />It was apparent at the September 26 meeting that Colorado and New <br />Mexico would be unable to reach agreement on a "reasonable and prudent" <br />alternative that would be satisfactory to the USBR and F&WS. Therefore, <br />Lois Witte and Sam Maynes of Colorado, Al Utton and Cindy Murry of New <br />Mexico, and Dan Israel, Attorney for the Ute Mountain Utes, prepared a <br />"Proposal To Negotiate A Reasonable and Prudent Alternative" to be pre- <br />sented to the USBR and F& WS the following day. This document is attached <br />as ADPendix C, <br />