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<br />STATE OF COLORADO <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />'. <br /> <br />Q <br /> <br />Colorado Water Conservation Board <br /> <br />Department of Natural Resources <br />131 J Sherman Street <br />Denver, Colorado 80203 <br />Phone, 0031866-3441 <br />FAX, 0031866-4474 <br /> <br />MEMORANDUM <br /> <br />TO: <br /> <br />Colorado Water Conservation Board Members <br /> <br />FROM: Randy Seaholm <br />Chief, Interstate Streams Investigation Section <br /> <br />DATE: May 18, 1999 <br /> <br />SUBJECT: Agenda I~em 9d, May 24-25, 1999 Board Meeting - <br />Colorado River Basin Issues <br />San Juan Recovery Program - Status Report <br /> <br />IMPLEMENTATION OF FLOW RECOMMENDATIONS <br /> <br />o <br /> <br />At the April 8, 1999 Coordination Committee Meeting, the Coordination <br />Committee adopted the flow recommendations contained in the, "Flow <br />Recommendations for the San Juan River" dated February 1999. The flow <br />recommendations as structured in the report allow for approximately 122,000 AF <br />of new or future development, in addition to the 57,100 AF for the modified <br />version of the Animas-La Plata Project (ALP Lite). While having 122,000 AF <br />available for future development is good news; the bad news is that NIIP will <br />shortly ask for consultation on all of it to complete the remainder of that project. <br /> <br />The recommended peak flow of 10,000 cfs would exceed normal bankfull <br />conditions, estimated to be around 8,000 cfs, without any clear documentation <br />indicating whether this good or bad for endangered fish habitat. Furthermore, <br />there was no documentation whether or not peak flows of this magnitude would <br />cause any property damage. <br /> <br />STACKING COORDINATION COMMITTEE WITH FEDERAL <br />AGENCIES <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Section 7 consultation process <br />has required other federal agencies to participate in the San Juan Recovery <br />Program, The Service has added the Bureau of Land Management as a participant <br />with voting rights on the Coordination Committee and is currently seeking to add <br />the National Park Service as a voting member on the Coordination Committee, <br />These actions reduce, if not eliminate, the ability of the states to have an effective <br />voice in the Recovery Program, The Board directed staff at its November 1998 <br />meeting to seek amendments to the "Recovery Program Document" that will <br />restore an equitable voice for the states and water users in the recovery program, <br />The recommendation included direction that any federal agency required to <br />participate in the San Juan Recovery Program pursuant to a Section 7 <br />Consultation has no vote on the Coordination and Biology Committees or be <br /> <br />Bill Owens <br />Governor <br /> <br />CregE.Walcher <br />Executive Director, DNR <br />Peter H. Evans <br />Director, CWCB <br />