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001063 Final Environmental Assessment-Chapter 2-Alternatives Limited space between the dam and Interstate 70 and the lack of access for maintenance also made the design infeasible. Construction The fish ladder would be completed under a construction contract. Before the fish ladder could be constructed, Reclamation would coordinate the design, easements and access with the dam and adjoining land owners. Temporary construction easements or permits would also be acquired from all affected land owners before construction. Reclamation would negotiate protective measures to reduce impacts to private property, rights-of-ways and facilities. Following construction, any damaged area would be restored, as near as practicable, to its original condition. Access to the dam for construction would be from a existing road paralleling the Colorado River along the right riverbank from the Interstate 70 Bridge to the Price-Stubb Diversion Dam through property owned by Union Pacific Railroad and E.R. Jacobson. Construction staging and material storage would be on adjacent vacant land owned by E.R. Jacobson. Construction access is limited near the dam because of its proximity to the railroad tracks and Interstate 70. A cofferdam would be used to direct the river around the construction area and river flows would not be reduced. Before construction, Reclamation and the contractor would obtain necessary approvals required by the Clean Water Act. Reclamation would request Section 404 authorization under Regional General Permit No. 057 for projects that benefit recovery of endangered fishes. If discharging water for construction dewatering is needed, the contractor would obtain a Section 402 permit. Reclamation would also coordinate construction activities within the 100-year floodplain with Mesa County. Construction would be scheduled during low river conditions in the fall and winter of 2005-2006. Reclamation recently constructed a similar passage at the Grand Valley Project Diversion Dam and estimates the construction costs ofthis alternative to be about $4,300,000. Operation, Maintenance and Replacement Measures The Service would operate the fish ladder from April through October of each year. They would monitor native and endangered fish use ofthe ladder. An agreement among Palisade and Mesa County Irrigation Districts, the Service, and the Recovery Program would defme operation and maintenance, and replacement responsibilities. Construction would not begin until operation, maintenance, and replacement funding mechanisms were agreed upon and the agreements signed. Permission would also be obtained from all affected land owners for perpetual access and use ofthe site for operation and maintenance. Long-term operation and maintenance costs are estimated to be $15,000-$25,000 per year. The Recovery Program or the Service would fund all activities for the fish ladder, with no costs to local water users. 10