7750

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 7750
• Author: U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.
• Title: Study of Alternative Water Supplies for Endangered Fishes in the "15-Mile Reach" of the Colorado River.
• USFW Year: 1992.
• USFW - Doc Type: \
• Copyright Material: NO

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CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
The Implementation Committee for the Recovery Implementation Program for Endangered
Fish Species in the Upper Colorado River Basin has asked the Bureau of Reclamation
(Reclamation) to prepare a study of potential alternative water supplies for instream flows in
the Colorado River. The study will involve that reach of river from the Grand Valley
Irrigation Company (GVIC) diversion dam in Palisade, Colorado, downstream to the
confluence with the Gunnison River (15-Mile Reach).
Background
The Endangered Species Act
Within the Upper Colorado River Basin, four native fish species are federally listed as
endangered: the Colorado squawfish, the humpback chub, the bonytail chub, and the
razorback sucker. Habitat for these species exists in the 15-Mile Reach (Reach) as well as
portions of the mainstem of the Colorado and Green Rivers and their primary tributaries.
The Endangered Species Act of 1973 is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(FWS). The act prohibits direct or regulatory Federal activities which are likely to threaten
or jeopardize the continued existence of threatened or endangered species or their habitat.
The Federal activities covered by the Act include, among others, Corps of Engineers' 404
permits, Federal management activities, Reclamation programs, and Soil Conservation
Service activities.
The Recovery Implementation Program
In the late 1970's, the FWS determined that new water projects would likely jeopardize the
continued existence of the listed endangered fish species. This threatened to embroil
interested parties in a confrontation which was likely to delay progress toward recovery of
the listed species and create uncertainty for future water resources development. To avoid
this, an Upper Colorado River Basin Coordinating Committee was formed in 1984 to identify
reasonable alternatives that would preserve the species while permitting water resources
development to proceed. The committee consisted of representatives from Reclamation,
FWS, Western Area Power Administration, and the states of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming.
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