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<br />p02531 <br /> <br />3. Since implementation of the recovery program requires <br /> <br /> <br />funding of recovery measures, water project sponsors <br /> <br /> <br />will make a financial contribution to the recovery <br /> <br /> <br />program. This one-time contribution will be based on <br /> <br /> <br />the average annual depletion of the project at the rate <br /> <br /> <br />of $10 per acre-foot to be adjusted annually for <br /> <br />inflation. <br /> <br />4. For projects causing direct impacts in occupied habitat, <br /> <br /> <br />such as obstruction to migration routes or adverse <br /> <br /> <br />physical alteration of occupied habitat, the Secretary <br /> <br /> <br />will, whenever possible, suggest reasonable and prudent <br /> <br /> <br />alternatives to offset,those impacts and avoid a <br />" <br /> <br />jeopardy situation. <br /> <br />This approach makes a distinction between indirect impacts <br /> <br /> <br />caused only by depletion and direct impacts that would occur <br /> <br />in the occupied habitat. The occupied habitat includes the <br /> <br />Gunnison River below the Redlands Diversion, the Colorado <br /> <br /> <br />River below Palisades, the Lower White River, the Lower Yampa <br /> <br /> <br />River, and the Green River below the confluence with the Yampa <br /> <br />River. <br /> <br />Because the recovery program is in place, projects causing only <br /> <br />depletion impacts in non-occupied habitat will receive non- <br /> <br /> <br />jeopardy opinions pending their financial support of the <br /> <br />recovery program. Projects developed in the occupied habitat <br /> <br />will have to address the direct impacts described above, <br /> <br /> <br />implement reasonable and prudent alternatives specified by the <br /> <br />Secretary to offset those direct impacts, and compensate for the <br /> <br /> <br />depletion impacts at the rate indicated above. Water users <br /> <br /> <br />participating in the Special Project anticipate that most <br /> <br /> <br />development will occur in non-occupied habitat, and will not be <br /> <br /> <br />subject to direct impact consultations. <br /> <br />7 <br />