Planning Report & Environmental Impact

Home Browse Search

• Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project including 1.1 acres of permanent loss of wetlands. There would be potential entrainment losses at the PNM diversion for flannel mouth sucker and speckled dace larva. Forty- three acres of private and Navajo Nation lands would be converted to project use by the alternative. Six families who currently live on the private land would be relocated. During construction there would be a temporary impact to grazing on Navajo Nation lands. Special status species would be impacted due to the potential entrainment losses at the SJRPNM diversion for Colorado pikeminnow, razorback sucker, and bluehead sucker. Potential negative impacts would occur to the bald eagle and Southwestern willow flycatcher along the San Juan River. There are also potential negative impacts to the beautiful gilia and Mesa Verde cactus along the pipeline alignment. Cultural resources could be potentially adversely impacted since there are an estimated 104 cultural resource sites within the area of potential effects. Approximately 90 sites could require treatment. Mitigation measures addressing these potential impacts have been developed and are included in the preferred alternative design and cost estimate. CONSULTATION AND COORDINATION Reclamation, as the lead agency responsible for preparation of this PR/DEIS,used an interdisciplinary team to prepare the document in addition to representatives from the Navajo and Jicarilla Apache Nations and city of Gallup staff and consultants. In addition, the BIA, IHS,NTUA, State of New Mexico, and the Northwest New Mexico Council of Governments participated with the interdisciplinary team in preparing this document. Consultation under the Endangered Species Act(ESA) is ongoing. Reclamation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service)have consulted, both formally and informally, regarding potential impacts to special status species as a result of potential development and operation of the preferred alternative. A biological assessment was developed by Reclamation, and the Service issued a draft biological opinion under the ESA. In the draft biological opinion, the Service concluded that the proposed project, as described in the biological assessment and in this PR/DEIS, may affect, and is likely to adversely affect, the Colorado pikeminnow,razorback sucker, and Mesa Verde cactus. The draft biological opinion indicates that the final opinion would contain an incidental take permit for Colorado pikeminnow and razorback sucker larvae that may become entrained as a result of the diversion from the San Juan River. / S - 10