WSP12637

• File Number: 8282.300
• Description: Colorado River Operations and Accounting - Lower Basin Administrative Procedures
• State: CO
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Water Division: 5
• Date: 8/1/1996
• Author: DOI-BOR
• Title: Description and Assessment of Operations-Maintenance and Sensitive Species of the Lower Colorado River - Volume I - Report - 08-01-96
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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Reclamation serves as custodian for the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) in his role as the
Watermaster. As Watermaster, the Secretary's three operational priorities are: 1) river
regulation, improvement of navigation, and flood control, 2) irrigation and domestic uses,
including the satisfaction of present perfected water rights, and 3) power.

B. Background

In discussions with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and non-Federal parties that
have an interest in the use and management of resources associated with the lower
Colorado River, Reclamation has agreed to develop this BA as an initial description of
routine, ongoing river operations and ESA-protected resources. As an assessment of the
potential effects of discretionary operations on ESA-protected resources, this document serves
two purposes: 1) initial documentation for the ongoing ESA section 7 consultation between
Reclamation and FWS, and 2) initial reference for development and implementation of a
multi-species conservation program by river stakeholders. The first purpose addresses
Reclamation's current discretionary operation and maintenance of the river, while the second
purpose addresses non-Federal actions via an ESA section 10 permit application and future
Federal actions via section 7 of ESA. The latter permits both non-Federal and Federal
parties to participate together in the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation
Program (MSCP). Sections 7 (Federal) and 10 (non-Federal) are separate processes under
the ESA, yet they are anticipated to work concurrently toward natural resource conservation
in the lower Colorado River.

Since there is significant non-Federal interest in developing and implementing an MSCP that
could significantly affect the survival and recovery of ESA-protected species, the Department
of the Interior (DOI), which includes Reclamation and FWS, agreed to work with public and
private interests in the lower basin States (Arizona, California, Nevada) to develop and
implement such a multi-species conservation plan. This agreement was formalized via a
memorandum of agreement with an effective start date of August 2, 1995, and, in July 1996,
is being clarified through a memorandum of clarification. The agreement among Federal and
non-Federal agencies to form a partnership with other interested parties for the purpose of
developing the MSCP was announced via a DOI news release dated September 15, 1995. On
June 26, 1996, DOI and the MSCP steering committee signed an agreement to equally cost
share the development of the MSCP and implementation of interim conservation measures.
A summary of the MSCP and copies of the referenced news release and Federal/non-Federal
cost-sharing agreement are provided in Appendix A.

The MSCP planning effort was originally scheduled for completion on or about 1998.
During the 3-year period (August 1995 - August 1998) for developing the MSCP, it is
proposed that participating agencies, both Federal and non-Federal, will sponsor, fund, and
implement interim conservation measures, at a minimum, designed to aid in the survival and
recovery of the endangered razorback sucker and bony tail. Consequently, the immediate
needs of some of the ESA-protected species will be addressed and, thus, will not have to
wait until the MSCP is formulated and implemented. Actually, Reclamation is presently

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