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F ~`. 4' -~ ~ ,. .... ~ uNCq wAENRSRE l . .~ ..~ ~ . . ~><. : ~" ~ . }~ .. ,; .. ," ~ ` RIDGWAY ~ ~, . ,.... i E ~~ ... _ DAM ,~ ~ ~' .e „ae,~ .moo ,... ; ~ ~ i ~ ' ~~ ~ r:. .r I - w ' wa y. ~~. ~ ~ K ~ ~ ~., ~ x` ~ 1 r . ^~-' RI06MAY STATE RECREATION . - AREA BOUNDARY _~ • ,. ~ RIOGMAY - Dallas Creek Project Dedicated The long-planned Dallas Creek water project, saved from President Carter's hit list by "The Residents of Montrose, Delta and other communities in the valley turned out in force to Mouse That Roared, "became an official reality on Saturday, August 22, 1987, in a dedication successfully protest Carter's attempt to kill their irrigation, municipal and industrial water ceremony for the Ridgeway Dam. project that officials say will carry the valley well into the Zlst century with an abundant More than 300 farmers, ranchers and families from the parched Uncompahgre Valley of supply of water. western Colorado gathered for the' ceremony, which included a barbecue lunch and tours of It had been local support that brought the project to fruition after more than 40 years of the giant 227-foot-high dam that is impounding the Uncompahgre River 20 miles south of planning, lobbying and pledging a repayment contract of $38 million, saidTed Brooks, longtime Montrose. lawyer for the Tri-County Water Conservation District. "It is through .the efforts of this valley and `The Mouse That Roared' that brought this project The project, which includes an 80,000-acre-foot reservoir, a little bit smaller than Reudi to reality," said J.F. Rinkel, retired project manager with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Reservoir near Basalt, faced state, congressional and presidential oppositionthrough its years 'Hrr~ refeiYe'd`to the massive comriiumty effort tollowmg the project"s 1ncluslon on tian:ers or scruggiing, ~f3rt~oxs saga: ~"`~--'°`^ ~ ~ - 19T~ "hit list" of western water projects ~liat nearly killed Elie ballas Creek effort. ` K ~ ` ` - '"~" ' ' ~` ,, i.: } r ~, , ~'; ~' .,~:. ,~: Pl L~S . Continued from. page 4 wlththe procedures established by theBoard. Water rights ac- quired under this Program will be transferred to the Colorado Water Conservation Board on the condition that such rights shall be used only to provide instream flows for endangered fish species. ::SECTION 7 CONSULTATIONS ON WATER PROJECTS In accordance with the Endangered Species Act, water pro- jects will still be subject to Section 7 consultation. However, under the Recovery Program, the following approach will be tiled: 1. Obtaining, administering, and protecting instream flows are part of an overall recovery program, and are not the responsibility of a water project sponsor. 2. Because the Recovery Program sets in place the mechanism and commitment to assure that instream flows are acquired and protected under State law, the Service will consider this, under any Section 7 consultation for a water project, as offsetting project depletion impacts. Therefore, depletion impacts of water projects on all river reaches will not jeopardize endangered species. 3.: Since implementation of the Recovery Program provides for funding of recovery measures, water project sponsors will make a financial contribution to the Recovery Pro- gram. This one-time contribution will be based on the average annual depletion of the project at the rate of $10 per acre-foot, adjusted annually for inflation. 4. For projects causing direct .impacts in habitat occupied by endangered species, such as obstruction to migration routes or adverse physical alteration of occupied habitat, :the Service will, whenever possible, suggest reasonable and prudent alternatives to offset those direct impacts to avoid a jeopardy situation. This approach makes a distinction between indirect impacts caused only by depletion and direct impacts. on the habitat occupied by endangered species. The occupied habitat includes the Gunnison River below the Redlands Diversion, the Colorado River below Palisades, the Lower White River, and Lower Yampa River, and the Green River below the confluence with the Yampa River. ..~ .:w Because the Recovery Program is in place, projects in non-oc- cupied habitat causing only depletion impacts will receive non-jeopardy opinions pending their financial support of the Recovery Program. Projects developed in the occupied habitat will have to address the direct impacts described above, imple- ment reasonable and prudent alternatives specified by the Service to offset those direct impacts, and compensate for the depletion impacts at the rate of $10 per acre-foot. Water users participating in the Special Project anticipate that most development will occur in non-occupied habitat, and will not be subject to direct impact consultations. FEDERAL RESERVOIRS It is anticipated that much of the water needed to provide habitat for endangered species for the Colorado River below the Gunnison and in the Green River will be provided by refining -operations at existing Federal reservoirs such as Dallas Creek, Curecanti, and Flaming Gorge. The Bureau of Reclamation believes that these. needs can be met with operational changes that will not impair existing allotments or contractual obligations made by the Federal government. Water released from Federal reservoirs must be administered under State water law to ensure its delivery. Establishing instream flow needs and defining modified op- erations will be the subject of continued study for Curecanti and Flaming Gorge. However, the Recovery Program includes a specific proposal for Ruedi Reservoir. Five thousand acre-feet have been withheld from sale at Ruedi Reservoir and will be made available for endangered fish flows in the Colorado River as needed. An additional five thousand acre-feet will be pro- vided inthe months of July through September through modified operations at Ruedi. The set-aside has met the requirements for the Section 7 consultations for Ruedi Reservoir and Green Mountain Reservoir. OTHER RECOVERY MEASURES During the fact-finding process,-it was determined that a number of factors have affected the status of endangered species in the Upper Colorado River Basin. These include chan- nel blockage, predation by warm water game species. which have been stocked by Federal and State game management agencies, taking of endangered species by anglers, and a number of other factors. The Recovery Program includes specific recommendations and proposals for dealing with each known cause and effect. It includes a proposal for seriously pursuing the introduction of hatchery-reared endangered fish in the Upper Basin. En- dangered fishes can be reared in .hatcheries in large numbers. These fish have been stocked on an experimental basis, and preliminary results indicate that the stocked fish are successfully adapting to their native habitat. However, hatchery rearing alone is not a total solution to the problem. The Endangered Species Act specifically requires protection of the species' native habitat. INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS A Recovery Implementation Committee will be established in early 1988 to guide and direct the recovery effort over the fifteen-year period. The Implementation Committee will be a policy level committee, which will include the Regional Direc- tor, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Region 6, Denver; Regional Director, Upper Colorado River Region, U.S. Bureau of Recla- mation; Area Manager, Western Area Power Administration; representatives (one each) appointed by the governors of Col- orado,Utah, and Wyoming; one representative from water users; and one representative from environmental organizations. A representative of the Colorado Water Congress Special Project will be nominated to the Committee. A program director ap- pointed by the Fish and Wildlife Service will report to the Implementation Committee. It is anticipated that the Implemen- tation Committee will appoint an Operations Committee of the same interests to closely manage the Program. ANNUAL FUNDING Annual and capital funding needs for the Recovery Program have, been identified. The annual funding needs are based on a projected annual cost of the Recovery Program for program management, habitat management including obtaining instream :flows, habitat development, hatchery rearing and stocking, non- native fish control and sport fishing control, and research, monitoring, and data management. The estimated annual cost of the Program is $2.3 million. Funding sources must be reliable if the Program is to be implemented. Sources of funding include the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ($600,000 per year), U.S. Bureau of Reclamation ($1,500,000 Continued on page 7 r r II Colorado Water Rights