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<br />Agenda Item 17g - San Juan Section 7 Consultations <br />May 22-23, 2000 Board Meeting <br />Page 2of3 <br /> <br />j Recovery Implementation Program (SJRlP). This model of the San Juan River has also <br />provided the hydrologic basis for the following Section 7 consullations. <br /> <br />'J <br /> <br />. Animas-La Plata Project (57, I 00 AF of new depletions). <br />. Navajo Indian Irrigation Project (122,000 AF of long-term new depletions); <br />. Navajo Dam EIS and Consultation (No new depletions, but done to implement <br />the San Juan River flow recommendations); and <br />. Gallup-Navajo Pipeline (Either 17,000 AF or 34,000 AF of new depletions) <br /> <br />In addition, the Jicarilla Apache Tribe has a settlemenl agreement that would allow for an <br />additional 25,500 AF of new depletions that have not yet been consulted on and 6,500 AF <br />of depletions via the San Juan-Chama Project (Total Depletion of 32,000 AF), These <br />activities while within New Mexico's compact entitlement are creating a rush to get <br />Section 7 consultations and thus creating a ladder for Indian water that is outside the <br />respective states water right priority systems. Furthermore, these consultations are being <br />done based on model assumptions and results that the states and others are not fully in <br />agreement with. <br /> <br />Discussion <br /> <br />It has been proposed that a Hydrology Committee be formed as a formal committee of <br />the SJRlP, combing and replacing the ad-hoc hydrology commiltee and the existing <br />Navajo Dam Operating Committee. The Hydrology Committee would be a technical <br />committee responsible for the review and evaluation of all hydrology related information <br />pertinent to the SJRlP. The Committee would provide advice to the SJRlP Coordination <br />and Biology Committees regarding hydrologic aspects of Ihe SJRlP and evaluate <br />proposed changes 10 the San Juan Basin model and lhe flow recommendations. <br /> <br />The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, as a member of the Hydrology Committee, has <br />committed to being the "permanent keeper" of he model, though they admit they do not <br />presently have the manpower or experience needed to make timely revisions to the <br />model. Currently a private consulting firm, under contract 10 BIA, is the only party that <br />has Ihe expertise to run and understand how RiverWare operates. <br /> <br />In reviewing the RiverWare model of the San Juan and the results, two things have <br />become increasingly clear: (1) the model contains some input data and assumptions that <br />are not completely valid, and (2) the race to complete Section 7 consultations on Indian <br />Trust Assets is tying up vast amounts of water that well not be developed for years. Both <br />conditions weJl make it very difficult for any other water users to successfully complete a <br />Section 7 consultation because the flow recommendations may not be fully satisfied. <br /> <br />Colorado has run it's CROSS San Juan model and can confirm that the Animas-La Plata <br />Project can be conslructed as configured while still meeting the flow recommendations. <br />This is largely because the Animas River flows are more than sufficient to accomplish <br />both objectives. However, our results also indicate that any further development in the <br />