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a. Dutch John Townsite <br />Dutch John, Utah was founded by Reclamation in 1958 on Reclamation <br />lands as a community to house personnel, administrative offices and equipment for <br />construction and operation of Flaming Gorge Dam and Reservoir. Housing, <br />administrative offices, storage/maintenance buildings and other public buildings and <br />infrastructure were constructed and continue to be owned and maintained by <br />Reclamation. <br />In 1968, Reclamation lands surrounding the reservoir, including the Dutch <br />John townsite, were included within the boundaries of the Flaming Gorge National <br />Recreation Area which is administered by the Forest Service. Since that time, <br />Reclamation and the Forest Service have shared the costs of providing basic <br />services for and administration and maintenance of the community and its <br />infrastructure. Reclamation and the Forest Service have now determined that <br />certain lands and structures are no longer essential to management of the project <br />or the National Recreation Area. <br />Residents of the community are interested in purchasing the homes they <br />currently rent from Reclamation and the lands upon which they were built. Daggett <br />County is interested in reducing the financial burden it accrues in providing local <br />government support services to a federally-owned community which produces little <br />direct tax revenue. <br />In 1997, legislation was again introduced that would authorize Reclamation <br />and the Forest Service to convey ownership of the Dutch John community housing <br />to the current occupants and ownership of the public buildings, infrastructure and <br />appurtenant lands to Daggett County. The legislation was introduced by Senator <br />Robert Bennett and Congressman Chris Cannon; however, no hearings were held <br />during the first session of the 105th Congress. <br />3. Navajo Storage Unit <br />The major purposes of Navajo Dam and Reservoir are to regulate the flows <br />of the San Juan River and to provide a water supply for the Navajo Indian Irrigation <br />Project (NIIP) near Farmington, the San Juan-Chama participating project in the Rio <br />Grande Basin and the Hammond participating project, all in New Mexico. Part of the <br />water is also used for municipal and industrial IM&I) purposes in northwestern New <br />Mexico. Navajo Dam was completed in 1963. <br />Section 7 consultation with the Fish and Wildlife Service on the operation <br />of Navajo Dam continued in 1997. Water year 1997 marked the seventh year of <br />studies to evaluate alternative operations at Navajo Dam to benefit endangered fish. <br />Navajo Dam has been operated to produce a full range of test flows to restore and <br />enhance native and endangered fish habitat in cooperation with the San Juan River <br />Recovery Implementation Program (SJRRIP). This range of flows included a low <br />flow in the winter of 1996/1997 which triggered a lawsuit against Reclamation by <br />several trout fishing organizations. As part of the stipulation and settlement <br />agreement, Reclamation agreed to prepare an EIS prior to conducting additional low <br />winter flows. Studies indicated little or no effects to the trout fishery for the short <br />term. Information gathered during the research/test flow period (1990-1997) was <br />utilized by the SJRRIP Biology Committee .and the Fish and Wildlife Service to <br />36 <br />