Laserfiche WebLink
<br />potential take associated with operations of the Redlands Fish Screen and Redlands Fish Passage and <br />additional monitoring and reporting requirements were included. <br /> <br />There were five environmental commitments included in the FONSI including a UCRIP commitment <br />to compensate Redlands for lost hydropower revenues during construction. More importantly, <br />however, is Reclamation's desire to allow the interim agreement to provide water to the Redlands Fish <br />Ladder to expire in 2005 and to the extent allowable under Federal and State law, attempt to release <br />sufficient water from the Aspinall Unit to maintain the 300 cfs minimum flow below the Redlands <br />diversion. <br /> <br />Construction of the Redlands Fish Screen will begin in November. <br /> <br />Coordinated Reservoir Operations: The voluntary river flow program to provide enhanced spring <br />peak flows for endangered fish is not feasible in 2004 because owners and operators of Upper <br />Colorado River Basin reservoirs need to capture all available river inflows to rebuild reservoir storage <br />lost during the current drought. <br /> <br />The Coordinated Reservoir Operations Program (CROPS) was established in 1995 as part of the <br />UCRIP. CROPS coordinates the bypass of storable inflow to major Colorado reservoirs including <br />Granby, Dillon, Green Mountain, Wolford, Williams Fork and Ruedi to enhance spring peak flows in <br />the Colorado River in order to improve habitat and facilitate spawning of two endangered fish species - <br />- the Colorado pikeminnow and the razorback sucker. <br /> <br />While this year's early snowpack was near average, a record dry and warm March dramatically <br />decreased snowpack and the forecasted runoff. The sustained drought has resulted in the augmentation <br />of spring peak flows during only three of the eight years since CROPS was implemented. <br /> <br />Cooperating CROPS members include the Colorado River Water Conservation District, Denver Water, <br />cities of Aurora and Colorado Springs, the UCRIP, USFWS, National Weather Service, CWCB, DOW <br />and Reclamation. <br /> <br />Security Costs at Reclamation Projects Reimbursable: Reclamation is changing its current policy <br />with regard to security costs at federal facilities. On June 17, Leslie James the National Water <br />Resources Association (NWRA) Power Task Force Chair reported that Commissioner Keys will be <br />issuing a change to his policy directive of April 2002 making some security costs at multi-purpose <br />facilities reimbursable. <br /> <br />On June 18, Reclamation stakeholder meeting in Washington, DC, Mark Limbaugh, the Deputy <br />Commissioner, also said that in FY 2005 $12 million of $18 million set aside for security would be <br />reimbursable. The $12 million is for gnards and surveillance. <br /> <br />NWRA opposes the effort to make these costs reimbursable and is asking constituents to contact their <br />congressional representatives and senators to ask them to advocate keeping these costs non- <br />reimbursable. Thus far, the following 11 Senators have signed a letter supporting the NWRA <br />position: <br /> <br />Maria Cantwell (D- W A) <br />Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) <br />Patty Murray (D- W A) <br />Wayne Allard (R-CO) <br />Mike Crapo (R-ID) <br />John Ensign (R-NV) <br /> <br />Michael Enzi (R-WY) <br />Orrin Hatch (R-UT) <br />John Kyl (R-AZ) <br />Gordon Smith (R-OR) <br />Craig Thomas (R- WY) <br /> <br />4 <br />