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r! <br />17 <br />L <br />LJ <br />�I <br />1 <br />1 <br />I! <br />► FY 95 CONGRESSIONAL ACTION ITEMS • <br />Bureau of Reclamation <br />Support Bureau of Reclamation Funds for the Recovery Program <br />($4,710,000 /Construction Program) <br />A total of $4,710,000 is included in the President's proposed FY 95 budget for the Bureau of <br />Reclamation. The Recovery Program fully supports this requested appropriation. These funds <br />are to be used for: (1) high priority recovery activities consistent with its annual funding <br />commitment to the Recovery Program, and (2) a variety of water acquisition and capital <br />construction projects to recover the endangered fish. <br />Annual Funding ($1.98 Million) <br />In FY 95, Reclamation's $1.98 million annual contribution to the Recovery Program will be <br />used to fund a variety a high priority recovery activities (Table 2). In the past, these funds have <br />been provided in the form of power revenues derived from the operation of the Colorado River <br />Storage Projects. In FY 95, Reclamation proposes to fund its annual budget from appropriated <br />funds. <br />Water Acquisition and Capital Projects ($2.73 Million) <br />Reclamation will fund a variety of capital and projects to recover the endangered fish. These <br />proj ects include: <br />o Fish Passaee - Reclamation will rehabilitate water diversion structures and build fish ladders <br />at several locations on the Yampa, Gunnison, and Colorado rivers. These activities will <br />benefit the migratory Colorado squawfish and razorback sucker by providing access to more <br />than 100 miles of historic habitat to the endangered fish and by providing for unrestricted <br />movement within their current range. <br />o Water Acquisition - Reclamation will evaluate opportunities to acquire water from existing <br />reclamation and private water projects to enhance habitat conditions for the endangered fish. <br />Several initiatives in this area include: <br />a. Evaluating the feasibility of more efficiently operating irrigation projects in the Grand <br />Valley, Colorado, and dedicating the "saved" water to the endangered fish; <br />b. Using water stored in several of Reclamation smaller reservoirs to enhance late summer <br />flows in the Colorado River; <br />c. Evaluating the feasibility of coordinating the operation of Federal and private reservoirs <br />in the headwaters of the Colorado River to enhance spring peak flows in the Colorado <br />River; and <br />d. Evaluating the feasibility of enlarging Elkhead Reservoir in the Yampa River Basin in <br />exchange for acquiring some large instream flow rights on the Yampa River. <br />