15d_Directors Report

• Board Meeting Date: 7/21/2009
• Description: Directors' Report - CWCB Director
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

~SOUTHWESTERN RIVER BASINS~
GUNNISON BASIN/ASPINALL UNIT REOPERATION DRAFT PROGRAMMATIC
BIOLOGICAL OPINION (PBO) -
The USFWS has released a draft PBO for the Gunnison Basin
based on information in the draft EIS for the Aspinall Unit Reoperation. Included in the PBO analyses
are: 1) the proposed reoperation of Aspinall to help meet the USFWS flow recommendations for
endangered fish near Grand Junction, 2) all existing water depletions in the Gunnison basin, 3) new in -
basin depletions up to 26,100 AF, 4) depletions of the Dalla s Project (Ridgway Reservoir, Gunnison
Basin) and 5) depletions of the Dolores Project (McPhee Reservoir, San Juan Basin).
The draft PBO concludes that the above - mentioned actions and depletions are not likely to jeopardize the
continued existence of the endangered fish and are not likely to destroy or adversely modify designated
critical habitat. The PBO requires the creation of a Selenium Management Program for the Gunnison
River Basin to reduce the level of selenium in the Gunnison River.
Due to the s ignificant amount of interest in the Aspinall EIS and Gunnison Basin PBO processes,
Reclamation is accepting comments on the draft PBO and will forward them to the USFWS. USFWS is
not obligated to accept or consider comments on Biological Opinions, but ha s agreed to accept them for
this PBO. (Michelle Garrison)
DOLORES RIVER DIALOGUE / LOWER DOLORES PLAN WORKING GROUP
UPDAT E –
The Dolores River Dialogue (“DRD”) is working on an 18 - month process to develop
alternatives to Wild and Scenic designation on the Dolores River below McPhee Dam.
The proposed alternatives will be submitted to the San Juan Public Lands Center (“SJPLC”), which is
comprised of both the Bureau of Land Management (“BLM”) and U.S. Forest Service (“USFS”), as part
of the San Juan Public La nds Land Management Plan Revision process.
The DRD held the first public meeting to form the Lower Dolores Management Plan Working Group
(“Dolores Group”) in Dolores on December 15, 2008. The Dolores Group will work with the SJPLC to
update the 1990 Do lores River Corridor Management Plan, and to develop alternative methods of
protecting identified Outstanding and Remarkable Values (“ORVs”) on the Dolores River. The updated
Plan will be referred to as the Lower Dolores River Management Plan.
The Dolo res Group includes diverse stakeholders with many perspectives and interests in the lower
Dolores River Valley, including representatives from three surrounding counties (Dolores, Montezuma,
and San Miguel); the Towns of Dove Creek and Dolores, the City of Cortez, water managers and water
rights holders; grazing and property owner stakeholders; oil, gas, mineral and mining representatives;
government agencies; recreationists; conservation groups; staff members from the USFS/BLM; and other
interests.
The D olores Group has scheduled field trips in both July and August to look at the subject reaches of the
Dolores River and discuss ORV protection on the ground. The DRD Technical Committee has been
meeting regularly to coordinate on strategy and meeting topic s for the larger Dolores Group and to
continue its field work efforts. At its July 9, 2009 meeting, CWCB staff gave a presentation on the law
and procedures governing leases of water for ISF use. The DRD also discussed a potential lease of water
from MVI C to the CWCB for ISF use and reviewed and discussed how the Dolores Water Conservancy
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CWCB Director’s Report – July 21 - 22, 2009 – Crested Butte, CO