Laserfiche WebLink
secondary channels, oxbows, backwaters, and other areas); and 3) biological <br />environment (food supply, predation, and competition). The Service reviewed the <br />RIPRAP to determine if it addressed these constituent elements and to identify existing <br />and new actions that will contribute to the RIPRAP serving as a reasonable and prudent <br />alternative to the likely destruction or adverse modification of critical habitat. Then, in <br />coordination with the Management Committee, the Service recommended additions <br />needed to address all of the constituent elements, to better define the expected result <br />of the recovery action, and to increase the certainty that the constituent elements of <br />critical habitat would be protected. <br />MODIFICATIONS <br />Instream Flow Protection: Modifications were made under this recovery element <br />to protect the water quantity constituent element. <br />a. Adjudication of the instream -flow appropriations to be filed by the Colorado <br />Water Conservation Board (on the Yampa, Little Snake, White, Colorado, <br />and Gunnison rivers) was added since these instream -flow appropriation <br />filings will not be legally protected until they are adjudicated in water court. <br />Adjudication may take up to three years after filing, depending on the <br />amount of litigation. <br />To provide more immediate habitat improvements in the Grand Valley area <br />via instream flows, a modification was made under water acquisition for the <br />15 -mile reach to enter into an interim agreement for uncommitted water <br />remaining in Ruedi Reservoir after Round II water sales are completed or <br />commitments to contracts are agreed to. If flow recommendations for the <br />15 -mile reach are met from other sources during this interim agreement <br />(thereby causing the additional water from Ruedi to exceed the flow <br />recommendations), Ruedi would be relieved of this additional obligation. At <br />the end of the interim agreement (whether the flow recommendations have <br />been met or not), Reclamation may pursue additional water sales; however, <br />these sales would be subject to review under Section 7 of the Endangered <br />Species Act. <br />Habitat Restoration: Modifications were made under this recovery element to <br />protect the physical habitat constituent element. <br />a. Access to historically inundated floodplain habitats is believed to be very <br />important to recovery of the razorback sucker and Colorado pikeminnow. <br />Although the Recovery Program has begun a program to evaluate and <br />restore flooded bottomland areas, the fish's riverine habitat has been and <br />continues to be so channelized by levees, dikes, rip -rap, and tamarisk, that <br />broader floodplain restoration and protection (e.g., through mechanisms <br />such as landowner incentives, conservation easements, and perhaps <br />A -2 <br />