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Upper Colood() R<::}!.imd l Jtrl'-'. 12'5 South St.w: Sact[, Rl'Olil bIll- S,,\[ LJ.kt City. l ruh S.lIl,K_\ '.<\2 OIR SC AS(; F I L E United States Department of the Interior BUREAU OF RECL>\J\L\TI()~ I...... RFI'LYf{I'FERTO UC-Il5/770 ENV-4.00 JUN I 1 1994 MEMORANDUM To: Regional Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Fish and Wildlife . ':'~ Enhancement, P.O. Box 1306, 500 Gold Avenue, Albuquerque NM 87103 , .'\o~ From: Charles A. Calhoun Acting Regional Director Subject: Comments on the October 13, 1993, Draft Biological Opinion on the Preferred Alternative for the Operation of Glen Canyon Dam (OBO), Consultation No. 2-21-93-F-167 We appreciated the opportunity to meet with you and your staff on June 16, 1994, to discuss this comment letter. As you know, the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) has received and reviewed the subject DBO prepared by your office in Phoenix, Arizona. We have circulated the DBO and received numerous comments which are enclosed for your use (Enclosure 3). After careful review and study of the Reasonable and Prudent Alternative (RPA) included in the October 13, 1993, DBO, Reclamation respectfully takes the position that parts of this RPA would require modification to be acceptable. We believe that with several changes we will be able to address endangered species concerns in a manner consistent with the National Environmental Policy Act. We recognize that Reclamation has the ultimate responsibility to determine whether and how to proceed with a proposed action in light of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's (Service) Biological Opinion and our obligations under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act. Our comments explain how the concerns expressed by the Service in the OBO will be addressed. As a result of the discussions, comments, and with the broad support of the Cooperating Agencies at the May II, I994, Cooperating Agency Meeting, the Preferred Alternative is being modified for the Final EIS. We appreciate Assistant Regional Director Jim Young's participation in those discussions and his cooperative view towards working these changes through the consultation process. The Preferred Alternative resulting from the review of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will be modified in the Final EIS to include the two changes in operating limits which were previously proposed as deviations to interim flows. These are: (1) increasing the maximum flow from 20,000 to 25,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) and (2) increasing the up ramp rate from 2,500 to 4,000 cfs/hour. These adjustments accommodate the use of existing data and best information within the EIS process. We appreciated your acknowledgement that you are in agreement and have no outstanding concerns with this change. We will also be moving endangered fish research flows from the Preferred Alternative and addressing them from a scientifically based position within the Adaptive Management Program. We believe these modifications are justified based upon the comments we have received from the