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<br />COLORADO WATER CONSERV ATrON BOARD <br />Department of Natural Resources <br />Bill Owens, Governor <br />Greg Walcher, DNR Executive Director <br />Rod Kuharich, CWCB Director December 2001 <br /> <br />THE VAMP A RIVER MANAGEMENT PLAN <br /> <br />Background <br /> <br />Colorado is a signatory of the 1988 Cooperative <br />Agreement to implement the Recovery <br />Implementation Program for the Endangered Fish <br />Species in the Upper Colorado River. Under this <br />agreement, recently extended to 2013. the Program: <br /> <br />./Allows large and small water projects to receive <br />federal permits. <br /> <br />./ Enables depletion of more than 586,000 acre-feet <br />of water per year from the Upper Colorado Basin. <br /> <br />The Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) is <br />an agency charged Witll implementing this agreement <br />for the State of Colorado. <br /> <br />Colorado has determined that this cooperative <br />program is the best way to recover the four native <br />Colorado River fish species while water development <br />and use continues. <br /> <br />The dual obj ectives of achieving species recovery <br />while providing adequate water supplies has created <br />strong state and local support and vested interest on <br />the part of the Pro gram's participants. <br /> <br />The continued issuance of federal permits for water <br />development projects and the recovery ofthe fish and <br />their habitat are dependent on the Program's <br />continued progress, <br /> <br />To ensure the Program's success, Colorado has asked <br />the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to <br />complete Programmatic Biological Opinions (PBO) <br />for each of several Upper Colorado River subbasins. <br />These Opinions specify how the Program meets its <br />dual objectives within each of these subbasins. A PBO <br />has already been completed for the Colorado River <br />above its confluence with the Gunnison River. The <br />Yampa River PBO would be the second such opinion <br />to be completed. <br /> <br /> <br />Management Plan Elements <br /> <br />The PIim includes steps to provide ad.equate water <br />. for the endangered fish and to manage non-native <br />species that prey on endangered and other native <br />fish. The Recovery Program has determined that <br />7,000 AF of augmentation would satisfy adopted <br />base flow recommendations for the Yampa River <br />in all but the driest 10% of years. This volume <br />includes an allowance of 1.000 AF for transit <br />losses. Eleven augmentation water supply <br />alternatives were examined in detail, as described <br />in the Management Plan for the Yampa River <br />Basin, Alternatives include purchase or lease of <br />water from one or more existing reservoirs and/or <br />new or enlarged reservoirs, as well as supply <br />interruption contracts, The latter option would <br />pay willing water users not to divert water they <br />otherwise would be entitled to divert under <br />Colorado water law. However, the CWCB does <br />not believe this to be a viable option, in that very <br />little water would be available from this source <br />when it is most critically needed for the fish (i.e., <br />drought conditions). <br /> <br />In addition to these "action" alternatives, a "No <br />Action" alternative was included as required by <br />the National Environmental Policy Act (NEP A), <br />