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<br /> <br /> <br /> <br />low levels in 2002 and, in order to build storage, only 286 af was called for <br />from Wolford Mountain in2003 because water was available from other <br />sources. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />The Coordinated Facilities Operations Study (CFOPS) was initiated in1999 to <br />investigate alternatives for supplying up to an additional average annual 20,000 <br />af of water to the 15-MileReach. The Phase II report was finalized in <br />September 2003. Water users are exploring ways to increase participation in <br />the expanded coordinated reservoir operations as recommended in the report. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />The cooperating agency review draft of the Flaming Gorge EIS was released in <br />December 2003. Thepublic review draft will bereleased in March 2004 and <br />public hearings scheduled in April 2004. The target date for publication ofthe <br />final EIS is July 2004, and for the Record of Decision; August 2004. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />A final environmental assessment and programmatic biological opinion <br />(ENPBO) will be completed in FY04 for the Management Planfor <br />Endangered Fishes in the Yampa River Basin. The. final EA will be completed <br />in March and the PBO is slated for completion by the end of April. Upon <br />completion of the EA/PBO, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will enter into a <br />cooperative agreement with the Colorado River Water Conservation District <br />and the States of Colorado and Wyoming to implement the plan. The plan <br />describes specific recovery actions intended to compensate for the adverse <br />impacts of current and future depletions. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Recovery Program partners have agreed to fund 5,000 af ofa proposed 12,000 <br />acre-foot enlargement of Elkhead Reservoir. The expansion will make water <br />available to augment base flows for endangered fish and to sustain future <br />growthin the YaJ11pa Valley. The Colorado River Water Conservation District <br />plans to submit a.404 permit application to the Corps of Engineers in spring <br />2004. The Corps will process the applicationin 90-120 days, during which <br />time an environmental assessment (EA) will be completed~ Owen Ayres <br />Associates and its subcontractor, Pioneer Environmental Services, have <br />completed site-specific environmental studies for this. purpose. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />The Biology Committee approved the report entitled Endangered Fish Use and <br />Flow RecolJ'lmendations for the Duchesne River, Utah on September 29 , 2003: <br />A biological opinion for the Duchesne River based on these flow <br />recommendations. is slated for completion in spring2004, <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />The Biology Committee approved the report entitled Flow Recommendations <br />for the White River in January 2004. However, because of shortcomings in the <br />study design, additional research may be necessary in the future to develop <br />meaningful flow recommendations. <br /> <br />4 <br /> <br /> <br />