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<br />OJ1548 <br /> <br />Chapter 2 - Alternatives <br /> <br />Other Alternatives Considered <br /> <br />Reclamation considered the following alternatives, but eliminated them from detailed analysis <br />for the reasons discussed: <br /> <br />1. As a condition for amending the FERC license for the Jacobson Hydro No.1 Project, require <br />the licensee to construct/operate afish ladder around the Price-Stubb Dam. <br /> <br />Section 1O(j) of the Federal Power Act requires FERC to include license conditions for the <br />protection, mitigation and enhancement of fish and wildlife based on recommendations of <br />Federal and State fish and wildlife agencies. The Service provides their recommendations within <br />consultations required by Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act. Recommendations <br />concerning fish passage were incorporated in Article 411 of the 1990 license for the hydropower <br />project: "Authority is reserved to the Commission [FERC] to require the licensee to construct, <br />operate, and maintain, or provide for the operation, and maintenance of, such fishways as may be <br />prescribed by the Secretary of the Interior." <br /> <br />The licensee's 1996 application for an amendment to the FERC license proposes construction of <br />a fish passage by Reclamation: "dedicate a right of way or similar property easement to the U.S. <br />Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) for the installation of a fish ladder which is being fully funded <br />by the USBR. . ." (FERC, 1996). <br /> <br />This alternative was eliminated because the Recovery Program had previously committed to fund <br />and construct the fish ladder. The Service would assume responsibility for its long-term <br />operation and maintenance. These commitments have been made because the Recovery Program <br />intends to recover the fish while allowing for development of Colorado River water supplies, <br />thus avoiding a confrontation between resource protection and development. <br /> <br />2. Design and build a ladder that would provide for passage around the Price-Stubb Dam by <br />both boaters and fish. <br /> <br />The Redlands fish ladder was built as a prototype, and successful use of it by native fish has been <br />proven. Design features of the ladder, including its narrow 6-foot width, baffles, and low flow <br />requirements would preclude its use by boaters. Designing a boatable fish passage around the <br />dam may be possible. With flashboards on the dam, preliminary concepts are for a wider <br />concrete- and rock-lined channel divided into six pools, each at least 200 feet long, with 2-foot <br />vertical drops between pools (telephone conversations between Reclamation and Gary Lacy of <br />Recreation Engineering and Planning). The shortest length would be 1,200 feet, which is 5 to 6 <br />times longer than the Redlands fish ladder. Without flashboards, there would be four pools, and <br />the total length would be about 800 feet. <br /> <br />This alternative was eliminated because: 1) it would cost 2 to 3 times more than a fish-only <br />ladder; 2) it is unknown whether native fish could navigate the channel with many 2-foot drops, <br />and 3) the limited amount of ground at the Price-Stubb site is inadequate to accommodate both a <br /> <br />16 <br />