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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 1.0 INTRODUCTION The action addressed in this biological assessment includes the construction, operation, maintenance and potential water supply contracts needed for implementing the Navajo Gallup Water Supply Project (NGWSP). The NGWSP is described in detail in Section 2.0. The baseline conditions used to evaluate this project's effects are the current conditions, in addition to water uses that might reasonably be expected to develop for which no federal action is required, and all anticipated projects that have received favorable biological opinions in the San Juan River Basin. These include operating Navajo Dam to meet the flow recommendations of the San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program (SJRIP), full development of the Jicarilla Apache Nation Navajo River Water Supply Project (JANNRWSP), the Animas LaPlata Project (ALP), and the Navajo Indian Irrigation Project (NIIP). The depletions associated with the baseline conditions are detailed in Section 32.1. The implementation of the NGWSP will result in a maximum increase in depletions in the San Juan Basin above the baseline of 1,840 acre- feet. The biological assessment was prepared pursuant to Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA). The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) provided a list of endangered, threatened, and candidate species that may be present in the area affected by the proposed NGWSP on November 24, 2003. The Navajo Nation provided a list of species protected under the Navajo Endangered Species Act (NESA) that are known from, or may occur within project habitats on December 30, 2003. The effect of the project on the species that share federal listing is addressed in this assessment. NESA listed species that are not federally listed are addressed in an addendum to this document. BIOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT NAVAJO GAllUP WATER SUPPLY PROJECT September 3, 2004 Page 1