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• <br />• <br />• • <br />COLORADO RIVER WATER <br />CONSERVATION DISTRICT <br />Protecting Western Colorado 1VVater :iirtce r 937 <br />October 6, 2000 <br />Maryanne C. Bach <br />Regional Director, Great Plains Region <br />U.S. Bureau of Reclamation <br />P.O. Box 36900 <br />Billings, MT 59107 -5900 <br />Brian Person <br />Area Manager, Eastern Colorado Area <br />U.S. Bureau of Reclamation <br />11056 West County Road 18E <br />Loveland, CO 80537 -9711 <br />Re: Colorado -Big Thompson Project Operations <br />Dear Ms. Bach and Mr. Person: <br />As you know, the operation of the Colorado Big Thompson ( "CBT ") Project, <br />with its significant diversions of water from the Upper Colorado River Basin, has <br />been of great concern to the Colorado River Water Conservation District ( "River <br />District ") and its predecessors since the inception of the CBT Project in the 1930s. <br />Recently, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service ( "FWS ") completed a Section 7(a)(2) <br />consultation on Bureau of Reclamation ( "Reclamation ") projects on the Colorado <br />River upstream of Grand Junction affecting the endangered Colorado pikeminnow, <br />humpback chub, bonytail, and razorback sucker which resulted in what is commonly <br />referred to as the 15 Mile Reach Programmatic Biological Opinion. This PBO <br />addresses the depletion impacts of five Reclamation water projects and inter - related <br />and inter - dependent non - Reclamation water projects. <br />The current operation of the CBT Project facilities includes some diversion of <br />water from Colorado's Western Slope to the Eastern Slope not contemplated and not <br />allowed by the authorizing legislation for the Project and violates the contractual <br />obligations of Reclamation. In addition, these diversions are not in compliance with <br />SUITE #204.201 CENTENNIAL STREET <br />P.O. BOX 1120 /GLENWOOD SPRINGS, COLORADO 81602 <br />(970) 945 -8522 - FAX (970) 945 -8799 - www.crwcd.gov <br />