9318

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 9318
• Author: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
• Title: Procedures for Stocking Nonnative Fish Species in the Upper Colorado River Basin.
• USFW Year: 1996.
• USFW - Doc Type: Denver.
• Copyright Material: NO

Reclamation negotiated agreements with the three primary contractual
beneficiaries: the Dolores Water Conservancy District (Districtl, Montezuma Valley
Irrigation Company and Ute Mountain Ute Indian Tribe. These cooperative
agreements and grants provided for the benefitting entities to complete the work,
rather than using Reclamation's traditional construction methods. Major remaining
Reclamation items include 20 additional acres of wetland mitigation (scheduled to
be completed by July 1999) and archeology reports (scheduled to be completed by
June 1999). Reclamation has deposited 5371,000 with the National Fish and
Wildlife Foundation to be used for cost sharing of the acquisition of up to 3,300
acre-feet of water for fish and wildlife enhancement.
The District's agreements for completing its work items and providing
3,900 acre-feet of water for downstream fish and wildlife purposes was completed
in 1998. Full payment was made to the Montezuma Valley Irrigation Company
under a grant agreement with fiscal year 1996 funds. Two Ute Mountain Ute Tribe
agreements allowing them to complete their work items and allowing Reclamation
to lease 3,300 acre-feet of unused tribal irrigation water have been completed.
Payment in full was made in fiscal year 1996 for leasing 3,300 acre-feet of water
for downstream fish and wildlife purposes, and full payment under the grant
allowing completion of work items has been made. Closeout of all completion
agreements is finalized.
In order to mitigate construction of salinity control modifications to the
Upper Hermana, Lone Pine and Rocky Ford Laterals (parts of the Dolores Project),
55 acres of new wetlands were developed at the Lone Dome Wetlands Area below
McPhee Dam. In order to complete the remaining 20 acres of mitigation,
Reclamation will be developing additional wetlands near the Totten Reservoir area.
A long-term management agreement between Reclamation and the Colorado
Division of Wildlife for operation and maintenance of the Lone Dome Wetlands Area
has been negotiated.
c. Fruitland Mesa Project
As required by Section 204111 of the Federal Land Policy and Management
Act (P.L. 94-579), Reclamation completed a withdrawal review on lands withdrawn
for the Fruitland Mesa Project. In December 1988, Reclamation submitted a report
to BLM recommending that its withdrawals for this project, totaling approximately
22,600 acres, be terminated in their entirety. That recommendation has not yet
been processed by BLM. In September 1996, the Interior Department's Inspector
General completed an audit report entitled, "Withdrawn Lands, Department of the
Interior." As a result of recommendations made in that audit report, it is anticipated
that BLM will soon begin to clear a large backlog of unprocessed recommendations.
d. San Miguel Project -West Divide Project
Both projects have been found to be economically unjustified at this time.
As required by Section 204(q of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (P.L.
94-579), Reclamation completed a withdrawal review on lands withdrawn for the
West Divide Project. In March 1987, Reclamation submitted a report to BLM
recommending that its withdrawal for this project, totaling approximately 739.6
acres, be terminated in its entirety. That recommendation has not yet been
processed by BLM. In September 1996, the Interior Department's Inspector General
completed an audit report entitled, "Withdrawn Lands, Department of the Interior."
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