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000970 FWS/R6 ES/GJ-6-CO-04-F-003 May 5, 2004 Memorandum To: Program Supervisor South, Ecological Services, Region 6, Regional Office, Denver, Colorado, Mail Stop 60120 ' Area Manager, Bureau of Reclamation, Western Colorado Area Office; Grand Junction, Colorado From: Regional Director, Region 6, , U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Denver, Colorado Subject: Final Biological Opinion for the Redlands Water and Power ~ompany's Canal Fish Screen, Mesa County, Colorado In accordance with section 7 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.c. 1531 et seq.), and the Interagency Cooperation Regulations (50 CFR 402), this transmits the Fish and Wildlife Service's fmal biological opinion for impacts to federally listed endangered species for the proposed fish screen on the Redlands Water and Power Company's (R WPC) Canal. Copies of this opinion should be provided to the applicant because the Service has incorporated reasonable and prudent alternatives that should be included as conditions of any authorization issued by the Bureau of Reclamation or the Fish and Wildlife Service for this project. Reference is made to your November 24, 2003, correspondence and biological assessment (received in our Grand Junction Field office on December 15,2003) requesting initiation of formal consultation for the subject project. Additional information regarding water depletions, water diversions, and flows below the Redlands Diversion Dam was received via e-mail on February 17,2004. Based on the information provided the Service concurs that the annual depletion of water from the Colorado River Basin may adversely affect the endangered Colorado pikeminnow (formerly squawfish) (Ptychocheilus lucius), humpback chub (Gila cypha), bonytail (Gila elegans), and razorback sucker (Xyrauchen texanus) and may adversely affect their critical habitat.