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<br />of a record of decision on the proposed action. The proposed action made <br />51,500 acre-feet of water available for marketing to western slope contrac- <br />tors. As a result of Endangered Species Act (ESA) consultation on the <br />proposed action, 5,000 acre-feet of this total would be withheld from water <br />sales and released to benefit Colorado River endangered fishes. Operational <br />changes would make an additional 5,000 acre-feet of water available to <br />benefit the Colorado River endangered fishes in 4 years out of 5. Considering <br />Round I sales of 7,850 acre-feet. this left 38,650 acre-feet of water available <br />for marketing in Round II. Since 1990, the Service has listed the razorback <br />sucker and identified and listed critical habitat for the four Colorado River <br />endangered fishes, both of which could be affected by the Round II water <br />marketing program. <br /> <br />To comply with the ESA, Reclamation re-initiated consultation with the <br />Service on the effects of the Ruedi Water Marketing Program on the Colorado <br />River endangered fishes and critical habitat. On May 26, 1995, the Service <br />issued a biological opinion on the effects of the Ruedi Round II water <br />marketing program on the Colorado River endangered fishes and designated <br />critical habitat. As part of the consultation process, Reclamation identified <br />that there were 17,000 acre-feet of immediate needs that should be <br />contracted for in Round II. This left approximately 21,650 acre-feet of <br />uncommitted water in Ruedi. The Service's May 26, 1995 biological opinion <br />contained two reasonable and prudent alternatives to jeopardy. One was <br />continuing the commitments made in the 1990 EIS and the other was to <br />develop an agreement among the Service, Reclamation, and the Colorado <br />Water Conservation Board to make the remaining uncommitted yield available <br />for 15 years to benefit endangered Colorado River fishes in the 1 5-mile reach <br />of the Colorado River. <br /> <br />Contents of reservoirs within the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project as of <br />September 30, 1995 were as follows: Ruedi Reservoir, 99,615 acre-feet; <br />Turquoise Lake, 127,703 acre-feet; combined Mt. Elbert Forebay and Twin <br />Lakes Reservoir, 144, 762acre-feet; and Pueblo Reservoir, 253,552acre-feet. <br />During water year 1995 (October 1, 1994 through September 30, 1995) <br />transmountain diversions from the Colorado River Basin in Colorado by the <br />Fryingpan-Arkansas Project via the Charles H. Boustead Tunnel totaled <br />90,500 acre-feet. <br /> <br />b. Dolores Project <br /> <br />A contract for $7.1 million was awarded in March of 1993 for construc- <br />tion of Montezuma Valley Irrigation Company (MVIC) Canal Lining, a feature <br />of the Colorado River Salinity Reduction Project. The work included <br />constructing 5.4 miles of earth-lined canal and associated structures and <br />turnouts and replacing portions of an existing unlined irrigation canal. <br />Construction was completed in 1995. <br /> <br />45 <br />