FLOOD08553

• County: Ouray
• Community: Ouray
• Stream Name: Uncompahgre River
• Basin: Gunnison
• Title: Draft Environmental Assessment Ridgway Dam and Reservoir Water Control Manual
• Date: 4/1/1996
• Prepared For: State of Colorado
• Prepared By: US Army Corps of Engineers
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Project

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Control Manual, Upper Colorado River Basin," (2) the USBR's 1976 " Final
Environmental Statement, Dallas Creek Project, Colorado," (3) the USBR's 1976
"Definite Plan Report, Dallas Creek Project, Colorado," (4) Colorado Division of
Parks and Outdoor Recreation's 1995 "Ridgway State Park Management Plan, Fourth
Draft," and (5) Colorado Department of Natural Resources' 1995 draft "Wetland
Resources of Ridgway State Park. "

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1.2 Purpose of and Need for Action. Congressional authorization requires
implementation of a water control plan for Ridgway Dam and Reservoir, which
includes flood control operation criteria as defined in the existing water control manual.
The water control manual contains descriptive information and a detailed water control
plan for flood control operations at the Ridgway Dam and Reservoir on the
Uncompahgre River. Since the water control manual has not been officially adopted,
the USBR has been operating for flood control under a preliminary water control plan.

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1.3 Purpose of the Enviromnental Assessment. This draft Environmental
Assessment (EA) evaluates whether any environmental and cultural impacts would
result from implementing the flood control operations as described in the water control
manual. This draft EA analyzes impacts to historic properties, discusses future
conditions with or without adoption of the water control manual, and assesses whether
the flood control operations would significantly affect the environment, including
Federally listed threatened, endangered, or candidate species.

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1.4 Summary

1.4.1 Summary of Proposed Action. The proposed Federal action involves
officially adopting and implementing flood control operations as described in the water
control manual for Ridgway Dam and Reservoir.

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1.4.2 Summary of Effects. Adoption of the water control manual would not
have any significant adverse effects on environmental or cultural resources. A
biological assessment by the Corps concluded that the adoption of the manual would
have no effects on Federally listed threatened, endangered, or candidate species (see
Section 5.2). The Colorado State Historic Preservation Office has been requested to
provide concurrence that no historic properties will be affected by the proposed flood
control operations as described in the water control manual for Ridgway Dam and
Reservoir (see Attachment 1 - FONSI).

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1.4.3 Conclusions and Findings. Since there are no significant effects, no
mitigation is required for adoption of the water control manual. Consequently, the
Corps concludes that a fmding of no significant impact is appropriate and selects the
alternative that formalizes and adopts the water control manual for flood control
operations at Ridgway Dam and Reservoir.

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