10825 Water Supply Alternative Summary Phase 2 Assessment January 2008 Draft

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1.3 PURPOSE AND NEED STATEMENT The 10825 water supply alternatives must fulfill the obligation of the water providers who divert from the Colorado River (water providers) under Activity 1 -A.5.e of the Recovery Implementation Program, Recovery Action Plan. Pursuant to this obligation, the water providers must permanently deliver 10,825 acre -feet of water in the summer and early fall to the 15 -mile reach of the Colorado River to benefit the target fish species. The alternatives must be practicable and capable of efficiently and effectively delivering the 10,825 acre -feet of water to the 15 -mile reach in all years. An agreement for the permanent delivery of the water must be in place by December 20, 2009 and the project must be implemented by the date specified in this required agreement. The delivered water must be of sufficient quality to avoid adversely affecting the target fish species, irrigation or crop yields, municipal water treatment costs, or cause exceedances of existing water quality standards. 2.0 EVALUATION CRITERIA Eleven evaluation criteria were developed pursuant to 404(b)(1) Guidelines, NEPA standards, and study guidelines of the members of the 10825 Steering Committee. The criteria are described in specific detail in the memorandum, Screening Criteria, which is available on the project website. The evaluation criteria are listed below in abbreviated form: 1. Amount of Water 2. Implementation Schedule 3. Effective Delivery 4. Efficient Delivery 5. Engineering Feasibility 6. Land Use /Permitting 7. Institutional /Legal issues 8. Cost 9. Water Quality 10. Benefit target fish species Must be able to deliver at least 2,500 acre -feet per year (for new structural elements only) Must be capable of being agreed to by December 2009 by all necessary parties Deliver water to the 15 Mile Reach within 72 hours Release water at rates between 50 and 250 cfs Accomplished with existing technology Feasible to obtain all appropriate permits Must be able to be resolved Not greater than five times cost of acquiring similar amount of augmentation water in the 15 Mile Reach Sufficient quality to avoid adverse affects Not diminish the opportunity for fish to recover 11. Stakeholder Consensus Must be supported by stakeholders in the study 10825 Water Supply Study Phase 2 Alternatives Assessment January 2003 Draft 3