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002~~6 Water use from the Dolores Project is not yet fully developed and the total estimated average annual return flows have not been realized in the San Juan River. For example, the City of Cortez and the Town of Dove Creek have returned approximately 4,200 acre-feet (AF) of their Project M&I water allocation to the Dolores Water conservancy District (DWCD), indicating they did not have a current use for the water and would not have a use in the future. The Ute Mountain Ute Jribe currently irrigates only about 4000 acres of their total 7,500 acres of Dolores Project lands. Also, the average annual demand for project supplemental water may be less than anticipated due to improvements made to the delivery systems and the change from flood to sprinkler irrigation. The proposed action includes the acquisition of at least 7,200_AF of water for release downstream to'the Dolores River. The water would be acquired in two increments. The first increment of 3,900 AF would be provided permanently by the DWCD as an additional prcject water use, thus not limiting full development of the Project as planned. This action would slightly decrease the return flows to the San Juan River by slightly increasing the frequency and severity of Project irrigation water shortages. The average annual supply c: Project irrigation water would be reduced by approximately 1%, reducing the estimated average annual return flows by approx~ately 1% or 200 AF. The second increment c! 3,300 AF would be provided temporarily (up.tC 5 years) ~y t~e Ute Mountain Ute Tribe from a portion 0: their currently unused Prcject ~==iga~ion a~lo=a~~o~. A permanen~ s~~=ce =c= ~his wa~e= has nc~ ye~ bee~ identi.= ie"c. ~he WO=5~ case scenaric :0= ac~~isi~ion of this in==emen~ c= wa~er, as it per~a~ns ~c po~en~~al ~e~u~n :lOW5 ~o ~he San Jua~ River! would be ~o acquire 3,300 AF c= cu=rently unused Project M&~ wa~er. ~his ac~ion wo~lc reduce ~he e5~~rnatec po~e~~~a: 2verage annual ~e~u~n ::ows ~= ~he San Juan River by :,E50 AT. 7~ere=c=e ~hE maximum =educ~~o~ c= es~~~a~e= ave=age annua: poter.~ia: ret~rn ::ows ~= ~he San Juan Rive= resul~~n~ :ro~ impiemen~ation c= ~he p=oposec a=~~o~ ~oulc be :,850 AF. -p is ~cpc~~an~ ~c nc~e ~ha~ ~hi5 ~s a redu~~ic~ c= po~en~ia: :lows, no= ac~ua: =lows, as ~he water tna~ would be ac~~~rec has neve= ~een diverted for use i~ the Sa~ J~an basin. The estimated average annual Project retur~ flows of 25,000 AF, based on :u:: Project development, were included in the San Juan River baseline in the 1951 Final Biological Opinion for the Animas-La Flata Project. Estimated average annual Project return flows were reduced to 22,000 AF in the San Juan River baseline used in t.he 1996 Draft Biological Opinion for the Animas-La Pla-:.a Project, based on implementation 0: the proposed action described in the February 1995 Draft Enviror~ental Assessment of the Proposal to Modify Operation of McPhee Reservoir and Acquire Additional Water for Fish and Wildlife Purposes. SPECIES ASSESSMENT The Colorado s~~awfish and the =a:crback sucker are known tc exist ,- portions 0= the San Juan Rive~ dDwns~~eam c: ~he=e Dolo~es ?=cje=~ ~==~;a~~on re~~~~ =lows ente~ the =ive~ (Pla~ania, :99Cj. ~he majc~i~y 0: ~~e5e ~e~~r~ :~o~s e~~e= ~he San J~a~ ~~ve= c~ ~~e ~=~l~= C=eek ~~~=luence {?~ ~QGj. R""oe:-: arl~ P:e:..=er {:99S} . . s::cwec -.... -- _....c:.... ::::'c~c.dc s~~awfi.s:: aci~l~s , ~sec c. S:lic.__