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National Park will be above the minimum release objective during the summer months. To protect both the blue ribbon trout fishery in the Black Canyon and recreational interests, releases during 2003 will be planned to minimize large fluctuations in the daily and monthly flows in the Gunnison River below the Gunnison Tunnel diversion. Under the minimum probable and most probable inflow scenarios, Blue Mesa Reservoir is not expected to fill in the summer of2003. With the most probable inflow, Blue Mesa Reservoir will fill to within about 12 feet of full pool in July 2003. Navajo Reservoir Exceptional drought conditions prevailed in the San Juan River basin in 2002 with extremely low runoff in the basin. The April through July unregulated inflow into Navajo Reservoir in water year 2002 was 0.038 maf (46.9 mcm), or 4 percent of average. Water year 2002 unregulated inflow was 0.116 maf(143 mcm) or 10 percent of average. This inflow was significantly below the previously recorded low, which occurred in 1977. The San Juan River basin is in an extended dry cycle. April through July unregulated inflow to Navajo Reservoir in water years 1999, 2000, and 200 I was 81, 44, and 107 percent of average, respectively. Reservoir storage in Navajo Reservoir has been significantly reduced due to these protracted drought conditions. Reservoir storage on September 30, 2002 was 51 percent of capacity. The water surface elevation at Navajo Reservoir on September 30,2002 was 6,015.6 feet (1,833.6 meters), 69.4 feet from full. The final report titled Flow Recommendations for the San Juan River, (Flow Recommendations) which outlines flow recommendations for the San Juan River below Navajo Dam, was completed by the Biology Committee ofthe San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program (SJRIP) in May 1999. The report synthesizes research conducted on endangered fish in the San Juan River over a 7 -year period. The purpose of the report is to provide flow recommendations for the San Juan River that promote the recovery of the endangered Colorado pikeminnow and razorback sucker, maintain important habitat for these two species, as well as the other native species, and provide information for the evaluation of continued water development potential in the basin. It is anticipated that implementation of the Flow Recommendations, or reasonable alternative to it, will allow for a non-jeopardy biological opinion to be issued by the Service for the operations of Navajo Dam. Due to the severity of the drought and the hydrologic conditions in the San Juan River Basin during the spring runoff period, the Flow Recommendations directed that no spring peak release was necessary from Navajo Reservoir. Although there was no peak release, higher than normal base flows were released from Navajo Reservoir during the spring and summer months during water year 2002. Releases from Navajo Reservoir reached 1,000 cfs (28 cms) during this period. These increases were necessary due to decreasing flows in the San Juan River endangered fish critical habitat area (Farmington to Lake Powell). The Flow Recommendations call for an average weekly flow of between 500 cfs (14 cms) and 1,000 cfs (28 cms) in this reach of the river. Reclamation has begun a National Environmental Policy Act (NEP A) process on the implementation of an operation at Navajo Dam that meets these Flow Recommendations or a reasonable alternative to them. A Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was filed on December 13,2002 13