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CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION Proposed Action The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) proposes to develop and implement a process to reduce selenium-related health effects in fish and wildlife at the Orchard Mesa Wildlife Area (OMW A) near Grand Junction, Colorado. Purpose and Need High concentrations of selenium have been documented to cause reproductive failure and birth defects in fish and waterfowl species. There is a need to reduce selenium levels in two backwater areas along the Colorado River within Reclamation's OMWA. The purpose of the project is to protect local fish and wildlife resources and reduce selenium bio-accumulations in endangered fishes and waterfowl. This environmental assessment (EA) was prepared by Reclamation in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969; the Endangered Species Act; and related Department ofInterior (DOl) policies and regulations. Backl!:round Information In 1996, Reclamation and the Recovery Implementation Program for Endangered Fish Species in the Upper Colorado River Basin purchased about 153 acres of Colorado River bottomland as a wetland mitigation site for the salinity control project in the Grand Valley and to protect endangered fish habitat (see Frontispiece Map). The salinity control project consisted oflining . project canals to prevent seepage. The mitigation site is managed as wildlife habitat and will be referred to in this document as the Orchard Mesa Wildlife Area (OMW A). The Bureau of Reclamation has actively managed the site planting cottonwood and other riparian plant species, applying salt cedar control, and providing flood irrigation. Water quality testing identified high concentrations of selenium in two backwater areas (see Figure I). Selenium concentrations were recorded as high as 30 parts per billion (ppb). The Colorado water quality standard for selenium are 5 ppb. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) expressed concerns that selenium concentrations may be bio-accumuIating in endangered fishes and waterfowl. The National Irrigation Water Quality Program (NIWQP) is an intra-departmental program that evaluates Department of the Interior (DOl) irrigation projects; considers drain water contamination and related impacts to endangered species or migratory birds; develops alternatives for remediation; and implements alternatives. Program participants are the Geological Survey, Service, Bureau ofIndian Affairs, and Reclamation. These projects are necessary to ensure that federally constructed irrigation projects are in compliance with the