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agreement? One of the purposes of the environmental assessment is to determine whether <br />an environmental impact statement is needed. It should be noted that the water agreement <br />is temporary and effects will be monitored. Prior to implementation of long -term flow <br />changes, additional NEPA compliance, perhaps involving an environmental impact statement, <br />will be needed. <br />WATER RIGHTS- -What effect will the fish passageway and interim agreement have on existing <br />water rights; what is the effect of the proposal on Redlands Diversion Dam water rights and <br />water use; and does the proposal only intend to protect water for fish but not for water <br />users? There will be no effect on water rights which are protected under State law. The <br />Redlands Diversion Dam has a very senior right and in low flow conditions can call upon <br />junior water rights to shut down. As explained in the environmental assessment, many water <br />users have benefitted from flow regimes that followed construction of the Aspinall Unit. The <br />proposal, under the interim agreement, is designed to protect these existing water uses <br />dependent upon water availability. The agreement would provide that water shortages be <br />shared by endangered fish in drought periods. <br />ECONOMICS - -Will the proposals affect hydropower production; what are the cumulative <br />economic effect of these and other Federal programs? Hydropower should not be <br />significantly affected as discussed in the environmental assessment. Interim agreement <br />provisions state that endangered fish water cannot bypass the powerplants of the Aspinall <br />Unit. The economic effects of the present proposals have been considered, and Alternatives <br />A and B have been developed to try to protect economic benefits related to historic <br />operations of the Aspinall Unit. From a larger perspective, the effect of this program and <br />others of the Recovery Program, are designed to recover endangered fish species while <br />allowing water development and use to continue. <br />Following the public meetings, there has been more input on protection of historical water uses. <br />There have been several meetings to discuss possible ways to legally provide for boaters to take <br />out of the Gunnison River upstream from the Redlands Diversion Dam or to portage around it. <br />The issues that have been raised are addressed in the planning of the fish passageway and <br />interim contract negotiations and in the draft environmental assessment. <br />32 <br />