8031

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 8031
• Author: U.S. Department of the Interior.
• Title: Fish and Wildlife Service Final Biological and Conference Opinion on Lower Colorado River Operations and Maintenance - Lake Mead to Southerly International Boundary.
• USFW Year: 1997.
• USFW - Doc Type: \
• Copyright Material: NO

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BIOLOGICAL OPINION

Proposed Action

Past and present human actions within, or that affect, the proposed action area are considered under
the "Environmental Baseline" section of this BO. Several earlier Federal actions in or near the
action area associated with water diversion and distribution facilities or related actions have
undergone ESA review. These are discussed in the "Previous and Ongoing Section 7
Consultations" section as part of the environmental baseline. Projected future non-Federal actions
that likely would occur within, or likely would affect, the action area in the next five years are
considered under the "Cumulative Effects" sections. The following types of actions are outside
the scope of this BO: 1) actions outside the action area if they do not have effects within the actio n
area, 2) future actions within the action area that would be subject to ESA section 7 reviews, and
3) future non-Federal actions within the action area that are projected to occur after the five year
consultation period for this BO.

Fig. 2 depicts the action area as defined for this consultation, generally within the 100 year
floodplain of the Colorado River. Uses, facilities, and transport of water and power outside the
action area generally fall in one of the following categories: 1) private uses beyond the realm of
discretion or authority of Reclamation and under private or State authority w here compliance with
section lO(a)(1)(b) of the ESA is appropriate if threatened or endangered animals are affected, or
2) already consulted upon for threatened or endangered species (see the list of projects in the
"Previous and Ongoing Section 7 Consultations" section of the "Environmental Baseline" section
herein) .

Effects of the uses depicted in Fig. 2 on listed species outside the action area are not addressed in
this consultation. They either have been addressed in other consultations, may require future
consultations, or involve non-Federal actions. The uses are:

· Southern Nevada water uses of 0.285 million acre feet (mat) from Lake Mead
(addressed in the consultation for the Southern Nevada Water system Facilities
Improvement Project; the species involved was limited to the desert tortoise).

· Power uses to California, Nevada, and Arizona from Hoover Dam.

· Quarries used by Reclamation for maintenance of banklines and other features
within the 100 year floodplain (consultation in progress; to be completed before this
BO becomes final).

· The 0.015 maf used in Nevada from near Davis Dam.

· Power to Nevada, California, and Arizona from Davis Dam.

· Arizona water uses below Davis Dam.

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