BOARD01847

• Board Meeting Date: 1/26/2000
• Description: Directors' Reports
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

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August 1998. The proposal calls for a scaled-down project that would sati~fy the senior water rights of
the Southern Ute and Ute Mountain tribes, while providing some M&l water for Durango and
Farmington. The DSEIS also includes an analysis of a "non-structural alternative" that has been proposed
by some organizations. The DSEIS was prepared because of a change in project size suggested by the
Clinton Administration and was prepared by Reclamation with the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe as a co-lead
pursuant to the Tribe's right to assume certain agency responsibilities under the Indian Self-Determination
Act. A record of Decision is expected in June.

The DSEIS is now open for a 60-day public review period; written comments will be accepted
until March 17, 2000 and public hearings will be held:

. Durango - February 15,2000,7:00 - 9:00 p.m., DoubleTree Hotel, 501 Camino Del Rio;

. Farmington- February 16,2000,7:00 - 9:00 p.m., Farmington Civic Center, 200 West Arrington;

. Denver- February 17,2000,7:00 - 9:00 p.m., Denver Convention Center, 700 14th Street.

Written comments should be addressed to Pat Schumacher, Four Corners Division Manager, Four
Corners Division of the Western Area Office, 835 East Second Avenue, Suite 300, Durango, Colorado
81301-5475; telephone [phone]; faxogram [phone]; E-mail [e-mail].
The document is available on the Internet at http://www.uc.usbr.gov under the Environmental Studies,
Summaries & Reports heading.

Navajo Dam Re-operation EIS: Re-operation of Navajo Dam to meet the San Juan Recovery
Program flow recommendations is critical to both the recovery program and our ability to move forward
with the Animas-La Plata Project. The final flow recommendations are contained in a May, 1999 report. ..
The EIS will evaluate the impacts ofre-operating Navajo Dam to meet those flow recommendations. .,
Attached is a newsletter that gives a good overview of the issues the EIS will need to address and the
study schedule. We sent a letter to Reclamation on December 14 identifying issues that need to be
addressed in the EIS.

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Yampa and White River Basin

Yampa Water Management Planning: The process of assisting the USWS in the preparation of
a Programmatic Biological Opinion for the Yampa River basin is continuing. The opinion would evaluate
the Upper Colorado Endangered Fish Recovery Program's ability to ensure fish recovery while water
development continues in the basin.

On December 8, a draft Yampa Management Plan prepared by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
was reviewed. The plan includes a discussion of legal mandates, historic and new depletions that will be
covered by the plan (at least 120 KAF of existing depletions, plus 50 KAFto meet expected new demands
by the 2045); non-native fish control issues; fish passage issues; specific recovery actions designed to
offset depletion impacts; possible sources of augmentation water to fish habitat needs; and, monitoring to
evaluate progress.

A meeting of water users was held in Craig on January 12 to discuss modeling issues associated
with the release of the Yampa plan. Water users want to know if3,300 AF of water is enough to satisfy
USFWS flow needs. Water users also want to know who may be included in the 50 KAF of new ..
depletions and more specifically, that uses in Wyoming are not included, because they are covered by a .,

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