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<br />- <br />.. .--. <br /> <br />e <br /> <br />. .... 2-" "-'7 <br />Ou 10 . <br /> <br />e <br /> <br />Backaround <br /> <br />In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969. as amended, and <br />the Council on Environmental Quality's Regulations for Implementing the Procedural Provisions <br />of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (40 CFR Part 1500-1508), the Bureau of <br />Reclamation has determined that an Environmental Impact Statement is not required for the <br />Proposal to Modify Operation of McPhee Reservoir and Acquire Additional Water for Fish and <br />Wildlife Purposes. <br /> <br />The Dolores Project was authorized by the Colorado River Basin Act of September, 30 1968 <br />(Public Law 90-537) as a participating project under the Colorado River Storage Project Act of <br />April 11 , 1955 (Public Law 84-485). The authorization was based on the feasibility report of the <br />Secretary of the Interior transmitted to Congress on March 17, 1966, and printed as House <br />Document 412, 89th Congress. 2nd Session. <br /> <br />.. <br />Original NEPA compiiance for construction and operation of the Dolores Project was compieted <br />with the aoprovai of the 1977 FinafEnvironmental Statement (FES). An Environmental <br />Assessment (EA) was prepared and a Finding of No Significant Impact was approved in :1981 <br />for the addition of two hydroelectric powerplants to the Project. In 1989, a Final Supplement to <br />the Final Environmental Statement was approved covering the addition of salinity features to <br />tne Project. Following is a cnronoiogy of NEPA compiiance activities which have occurred for <br />the Dolores Project: . <br /> <br />Draft Statement No. tNT-DES 65-44 dated November 1,1976 <br /> <br />Final Statement No. lNT-rES 77-i2 cated May e, 1977 <br /> <br />Envlronmema[ Assessment - Finding of No Significant Impact, May 1 -;. -; 981' <br /> <br />I '1- 3 <br />Z.;", 50, '7 s <br /> <br />Drat Suppiement to FES No. I NT-DES 88-1 i , March 2. 1988 <br /> <br />Final Suppiement to the FES No. FES 89-10. March 24. 1989 <br /> <br />Reciamation o::>erated McPhee Reservoir a:::cording to the filling criteria from its closure in 1984 <br />until it filied in 1987 and according to the criteria in the 1977 FES and the Definite Plan Report <br />(DPR) from 1987 until June 1990. This criteria specifies year-round minimum release to the <br />Dolores River of 20 cubic feet per second (cis) during dry years, 50 cfs during normal years, <br />and 78 cfs during wet years. Dry, normal, and wet years are defined in the DPR and FES <br />based on reservoir content and runoff predictions at specified dates. Minimum downstream <br />releases were set at 78 cfs from 1984 through 1989, the flow associated with a wet year in the <br />operating criteria. This was partially a result of the hydrology of the Dolores River Basin during <br />the period ana partially a res,ult of the Project's limited development. During this time, a good <br />trout fishery was established in the river from McPhee Dam to Bradfield Bridge. a reach of <br />approximately 12 miies. Precipitation during water year 1989 was very low and the dry trend <br />co:-:tinued in eariy 1990. In March i 990 a "dry year" determination was made in accordance <br />witr, the operating criteria and the::ownstream reieases were set at 20 cfs for the first time in <br />the Project's o::>erating history. <br /> <br />:rou: Unlimitea. Coioraao Division of Wildiife. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. ana others <br />