9398

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 9398
• Author: SWCA, I.
• Title: Feasibility Assessment for a Multi-Species Management Program, Lower Colorado River.
• USFW Year: 1994.
• USFW - Doc Type: Salt Lake City.
• Copyright Material: NO

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that take and/or adverse effect to listed species and/or adverse modification of critical habitat
is occurring under current operations. Guided by these assumptions and the objectives of the
Steering Committee, the Feasibility Committee selected the following nine management
alternatives for analysis:

A. Alternative A: No Action

The No Action alternative would be a continuation of present policies toward ESA compliance
on the Lower Colorado River. This would entail individual Section 7 consultations (as deemed
necessary) between the sponsoring federal agencies and the Service for new and existing
projects. Section 7 consultations with the Service are mandatory for federal agencies when their
actions may affect listed species or critical habitat. The objective of the consultation is to
determine the effects of the project, and to develop ways to minimize and mitigate such effects.
Under the No Action alternative, the Service would likely take primary responsibility for
developing conservation efforts in the Lower Colorado River corridor. However, given that
each federal action is unique in character and probably affects listed species in different ways,
and given the narrow focus of recent jeopardy opinions and associated reasonable and prudent
alternatives (RPAs)6, it is unlikely that a comprehensive, coordinated conservation strategy
would be developed through individual Section 7 consultations. The No Action alternative
would include the federal action(s) that result from the BA currently being undertaken by
Reclamation in the Lower Colorado River Basin.

B. Alternative B: Litigation

The litigation alternative is always available to Participants in order to challenge ESA
implementation actions that they believe to be legally or factually invalid. Litigation is not
mutually exclusive of any of the alternatives.

Note the jeopardy biological opinions for Glen Canyon Dam operations (October 13, 1993) and the
Central Arizona Project (April 15, 1994) (see Appendix B).

FINAL REPORT

December 20, 1994
Page 3