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<br />Agenda Item 17g - San Juan Section 7 Consultations <br />May 12-23, 1000 Board Meeting <br />Page 3 01'3 <br /> <br />~ <br /> <br />1 <br /> <br />San Juan Basin well be difficult once the balance of the Navajo [ndian Irrigation Projecl <br />has been completed because the flow recommendations as presently configured may not <br />always be satisfied. We are concerned that Colorado not be unnecessarily limited in its <br />future developmenl potential. Absent a specific project. one way to try and address this <br />is to seek consultation on future blocks of water development in the San Juan Basin of <br />Colorado. There are a number of issues to consider in this process and we are working <br />with the Southwest Water Conservation District 10 try and structure a generic request to <br />the FWS for consultation on upto 20,000 AF of water that could be developed over the <br />neXl 15 to 40 years. The development would be assigned to three geographic areas <br />within Colorado and have a monthly distribution pattern. If we can make sufficient <br />progress on this concept prior to the May board meeting, we may ask the Board to <br />consider endorsing the proposal at least in concept. <br /> <br />Conclusion <br /> <br />Given the rush to tie up large blocks of water through the Section 7 consultation process <br />for Indian Trust Assets in the San Juan River basin, and absent a signed settlement <br />agreement with the Navajo Nation, the State's of Colorado and New Mexico need to take <br />some actions to try and avoid the state water right system being circumvented by the <br />consultation process. A Hydrology Committee can help, but the FWS still has ultimate <br />responsibility for the Section 7 Consultation process. Thus, some type of applicaIion or <br />process within the FWS is needed to assure that non-Indian water users in Colorado have <br />equal access to reasonable amounts of any developable water. <br />