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<br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br /> <br />002966 <br /> <br />BIOLOGICAL OPINION <br /> <br />Proposed Action <br /> <br />DESCRIPTION OF PROPOSED ACTION <br /> <br />Introduction <br /> <br />The following is a summary of the proposed action description in the document entitled Description <br />and Assessment of Operations, Maintenance, and Sensitive Species of the Lower Colorado River, <br />August 1996, Final Biological Assessment Prepared for u. S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Lower <br />Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program by U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Lower <br />Colorado Region (hereinafter, the Biological Assessment, or BA). The full BA should be <br />referenced for additional detail and explanation regarding the Proposed Action and the extent of <br />Reclamation's discretion involved in it. <br /> <br />Scope of the Proposed Action <br /> <br />This biological and conference opinion (BO) addresses Reclamation's discretionary program of <br />continuing operations of Lower Colorado River (LCR) dam facilities, maintenance of river control <br />features, and other activities such as endangered species conservation for the next five years. <br />Table 1, at the end of this section, summarizes the extent of Reclamation's discretion during this <br />period. The geographic area of the proposed action is generally in the mainstream of the LCR and <br />its l00-year floodplain from the upper end of Lake Mead at Pierce Ferry over a distance of 412 <br />river miles to the Southerly International Boundary (Sill) with Mexico (Fig. 1). Additionally, <br />some of Reclamation's facilities under consultation, such as the Senator Wash pump storage, the <br />242 wellfield, and ancillary facilities near Yuma, lie outside the l00-year floodplain. <br /> <br />- - <br />. - - .,-~;O ..., _ _ _ <br />- - <br /> <br />first. The projected ending date for the consultation period is on or before May 15, 2002. Due <br />to the complexity of issues involved, this time frame is necessary to formulate and begin to <br />implement a comprehensive, effective MSCP, which will address broader and longer-term issues <br />including, but extending beyond, those issues covered in this BO. The MSCP's development, and <br />Reclamation's involvement in it, are integral parts of this proposed action. Under the "reinitiation <br />of formal consultation" provisions of 50 CFR 402.16, Reclamation would need to reinitiate <br />consultation on Reclamation's implementation of its portion of the MSCP (assuming the latter is <br />developed) prior to the end of the five year period. Alternatively, if for some reason no MSCP <br />is developed prior to the end of the five year period, Reclamation also would need to reinitiate <br />consultation in order to continue its operations and maintenance program described herein. <br /> <br />4 <br />