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<br />operations for each participating facility. The Enhanced AOPs will give consideration to peak <br />flow enhancement at the Cameo gage as well as historic operational parameters. A meeting of <br />the Coordinating Committee will be convened in mid April to present, review, discuss and <br />modify the operating plans as necessary. <br />3. Public Presentation of Initial Operating Plans: At the end of April of each year the <br />coordinating Committee will conduct public meeting(s) to present the proposed operating plans <br />to interested members of the public. Comments and concerns will be solicited and recorded at <br />the meetings. A mailing list will be compiled and a meeting record distributed to all interested <br />parties. <br />During runoff, individual reservoir operators will modify the operating plans based upon revised <br />hydrologic projections and concerns expressed. It will be stressed that the AOPs are based on <br />the best available hydrologic data, but that changing runoff conditions and project demands will <br />be primary in determining actual reservoir operations. <br />4. Coordination of Releases <br />During the period of peak flows, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Division 5 Engineer <br />will determine if and when it is best to begin bypasses to enhance the peak in the 15-mile reach <br />and the participating entities will attempt to coordinate their releases as much as possible in <br />accord with their current AOPs. The Colorado Division of Water Resources -- Division 5 <br />Engineers Office will also conduct an accounting of the releases in accord with their normal <br />duties to verify the amounts released. The Recovery Program will conduct monitoring in the <br />15mile reach of the effects coordinated releases had on endangered fish and their habitat. <br />5. Annual Review of Coordination Efforts <br />A meeting of the Coordinating Committee will be conducted in the following January to review <br />actual operations. The goal of this meeting will be to examine how the process worked, results <br />achieved and the need for improvements in coordination or enhanced predictive capabilities, e.g. <br />snow course stations, hydrologic models etc. An accounting of actual reservoir releases and <br />Cameo Gage flows conducted by the Division 5 Engineer will be presented. A comparison of <br />actual releases under coordinated enhanced operations versus projected releases under <br />conventional operations will be made and presented by the participating entities. The effects of <br />the releases as monitored by the Recovery Program will also be presented. <br />Any other concerns or issues resulting from the coordination of the reservoir releases will be <br />discussed with the goal of resolving the issues and improving future coordinated reservoir <br />operations. Members of the affected public will be encouraged to participate in the review, to <br />present problems, and to offer suggestions for subsequent years. (Note, all coordinating <br />committee meetings will be open to the public; however, special emphasis will be given to <br />participation in this review meeting.) <br />The Recovery Program will assess the success of the process and contribution towards recovery <br />of the endangered fish species based upon a comparison of the potential releases under the <br />Conventional AOP versus actual flows resultant from coordinated releases. The Recovery <br />' Program will also review the endangered fish population and habitat conditions provided through <br />the monitoring efforts under the RIP. It is not envisioned that National Environmental Policy <br />Act compliance will be triggered as a result of implementing this process, since it is not <br />28