WSP12904

• File Number: 8240.200.10.A
• Description: Colorado River / San Juan Endangered Fish Recovey Programs
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Date: 4/12/2004
• Author: UCRBRIP / SJRIP
• Title: 2003 - 2004 Program Highlights, Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program and San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Publication

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Ralph Morgenweck
Chairman,
Implementation Committee

Upper Colorado River
Endangered Fish
Recovery Program

Robert Muth
Director,
'Recovery Program

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. P.O. Box 25486 . Denver Federal Center. Denver, CO 80225 . [phone] . Fax [phone]

ES/CO River Recovery Program! FY -04
Rivers/CO River/UCR/Ruedi & Green Mtn.
Reservoir Releases
Mail Stop 65115

RECEIVED
APR 1 4 2004

APR 1 2 2004

Onlorado Water Conservation HORro

Rod Kuharich, Director
Colorado Water Conservation Board
1313 Sherman Street
Denver, Colorado 80203

Dear Mr. Kuharich

For the past 12 years, the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program (Recovery
Program) has reported annually to the Colorado Water Conservation Board (Board) on the
benefits of water released from Ruedi Reservoir for endangered fishes. With last year's
completion of the 2012 long- term lease of water from Ruedi Reservoir, the reporting
requirements have changed somewhat. Under the new lease, the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(Service), in conjunction with the Recovery Program, is allowed to use existing reports and
documents to show progress toward recovering the endangered fishes. This letter responds to
that reporting requirement and also serves as a concluding report to fulfill the Service's
contractual obligation with the U. S. Bureau of Rec1amation (Reclamation) to provide a report on
releases from Ruedi Reservoir.

2003 Endangered Fish Flow Augmentation

Recognizing the low carryover storage in the Upper Colorado River Basin reservoirs and
generally drier than average conditions in 2003, the Service initially set the target flows for the
15-Mile Reach at 250 cubic feet per second (cfs). However, this target was increased to 450 cfs
on August 7, and to 810 cfs on August 28, and finally to 1,240 cfs on September 18 as hydrologic
conditions improved in the basin and it became evident that additional surplus Historical Users
Pool (HUP) water was available from Green Mountain Reservoir.

A total of72,103 acre-feet (at) of water was released to support late-summer target flows. This
total included 47,526 affrom Green Mountain, 20,534 affrom Ruedi, and 3,757 affrom
Williams Fork Reservoir. Wolford Mountain was drawn down to record low levels in 2002 and,
to build storage, only 286 af was called for from Wolford Mountain in 2003 because water was
available from other sources.

Colorado River Energy Distributors Association. Colorado Water Congress. National Park Service. State of Colorado
State of Utah. State of Wyoming. The Nature Conservancy. U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Utah Water Users Association. Western Area Power Administration. Western Resource Advocates. Wyoming Water Association