BOARD02096

• Board Meeting Date: 9/21/1998
• Description: WSP Section - Colorado River Basin Issues - Ruedi Reservoir Round II Contracts and Annual Contract for Endangered Fish - Informational Item
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

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3) are economically and technologically feasible; and 4) would, the Service believes, avoid the
likelihood of jeopardizing the continued existence of listed species or resulting in the destruction
or adverse modification of critical habitat.

On January 21-22, 1988, the Secretary ofthe Interior; the Governors of Wyoming, Colorado, and
Utah; and the Administrator of the Western Area Power Administration were cosigners of a
Cooperative Agreement to implement the "Recovery Implementation Program for Endangered
Fish Species in the Upper Colorado River Basin" (U.S. Fish and Wlldlife Service 1987). An
objective of the Recovery Program was to recover the listed species while providing for new
water development in the Upper Basin.

The following excerpts from the Recovery Program are pertinent to this consultation because they
summarize portions of the Recovery Program that address depletion impacts, section 7
consultation, and project proponent responsibilities:

". . . it is necessary to protect and manage sufficient habitat to
support self-sustaining populations of these species. One way to
accomplish this is to provide long term protection of the habitat by
acquiring or appropriating water rights to ensure Instream
flows. . .. Since this Program sets in place a mechanism and a
commitment to assure that the instream flows are protected under
State law, the Service will consider these elements under section 7
conrultation as offsettini proiect dl\Pletion impacts."

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The Recovery Program's Recovery Action Plan discusses the important role Ruedi Reservoir
plays in the recovery of endangered fish. Ruedi Reservoir has long been considered as an interim
source of water until other permanent sources of water could be secured for endangered fish.

In order to offset the depletion impacts created by Round II water sales of 17,000 af and to
further the Recovery Program in attaining its goal of ensuring sufficient instream flows, the
following reasonable and prudent alternative has been developed.

1. Maintain Current Environmental Commitments

Reclamation will continue to honor its environmental commitments made in the Round II
Final Supplemental EIS for Ruedi Round II water sales and the Service's 1987 Round II
biological opinion. This includes the provision of 5,000 af of water annually to be
delivered through the IS-Mile Reach ofthe Colorado River on a schedule determined by
the Service and another 5,000 afofwaterthrough the IS-Mile Reach in 4 years out of5.
Environmental commitments are listed in detail in chapter 6 of the 1989 Final
Supplemental EIS for Ruedi Round II water sales (EIS# FSES 89-19) and the Record of
Decision signed January 16, 1990.