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Executive Summary <br />FEIS - Navajo Reservoir Operations <br />? Meet flood control procedures for Navajo Dam, as revised and established by the <br />Corps, to provide flood protection for areas along the San Juan River from the dam <br />to Farmington, New Mexico" <br />? Fulfill authorized and potential Indian and non-Indian water uses, including <br />those pursuant to Indian water rights and Federal trust and interstate compact <br />responsibilities to Tribes and Tribal nations, water contracts with the Secretary of <br />the Interior for delivery of the Navajo Reservoir water supply, and compact <br />apportionments <br />? Fulfill applicable water rights, laws, treaties, interstate compacts, court decrees, <br />Indian trust responsibilities, and various rules, regulations, policies, and <br />directives <br />Also taken into account in formulating the alternatives were such issues as water user <br />concerns that high releases could wash out existing water diversion structures, while low <br />releases could make it difficult to divert water. Other concerns centered on water quality, <br />erosion, and minimizing adverse impacts of alternative dam operations on fish and wildlife, <br />recreation, and hydropower generation benefits. A summary of the alternatives and the <br />evaluation criteria is shown in table S-2. <br />Alternatives Considered but Eliminated <br />During the alternatives formulation and evaluation process, some of the alternatives <br />were found to have serious flaws either in meeting the project purpose and need or in <br />technical /physical constraints. Accordingly, they were eliminated from further <br />consideration and were not carried over for full evaluation. <br />250 Variable/5000 Alternative <br />The 250 Variable /5000 Alternative would allow the minimum release from Navajo Dam <br />to vary between 250 and 500 cfs, depending on weather conditions and needs of various <br />resources. It would also allow a 5,000 cfs maximum release in the spring. It was developed <br />with the intent to minimize potential impacts on downstream water users' ability to take <br />" The previously approved river channel capacity as defined in the Report on Reservoir Regulation is <br />16,000 cfs from below the dam to the Animas River confluence in Farmington. The Corps has determined and <br />advised Reclamation (letter of December 5, 2001) that the channel capacity for this reach is now 5,000 cfs as <br />proposed in the draft Water Control Manual (WCM). Upon completion of the Navajo Reservoir Operations EIS, <br />the Corps intends to gain approval of the draft WCM to reflect current river conditions below the dam.