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<br />e <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />,. <br /> <br />Page 8 <br /> <br />All of these i tellS have been accomplished to date, except that there has <br />been one additional step as a result of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service <br />finding an endangered species, the Colorado Squaw Fish on the San Juan River. <br />This is the only remaining ol:stacle to the construction of the Animas-La plata <br />proj ect, <br />The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service had originally issued a non-jeopardy <br />opinion in 1979; however, further study has found twenty-seven squaw fish and <br />a jeopardy opinion was issued on May 5, 1990. In effect, this has stopped all <br />development on the San Juan River in Colorado and New Mexico. <br />Several meetings have been held and it appears that there may be a <br />resolution of the problem which would allow for construction to begin on the <br />Animas-La Plata Project while studying the fish habitat for purposes of <br />developing a squaw fish recovery program. Officials in Colorado are <br />cautiously optimistic that a solution can be found. <br />To recap or surnrnarize, the Colorado ute Indian Settlement Agreement was <br />accomplished because: <br />- the water usexs in Southwest Colorado and the Ute Indian Tribes <br />recognized the need to resolve the problem without causing <br />conununity conflict; <br />- a unified front was reached between the tribes and the States and <br />then the federal government was negotiated with; <br />- the elected Tribal officials and state officials provided strong <br />leadexship on state and national levels; <br />- local water officials were able to resel ve stream quantification <br />problems; <br />- cooperation had to be obtained from other basin states; <br /> <br />0333 <br />