WSPC00304

• File Number: 8220.106.I
• Description: Colorado River Water Projects - Animas La Plata - Environmental Studies
• State: CO
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Water Division: 5
• Date: 4/15/2004
• Author: DOI-BOR
• Title: Animas La Plata Project - Environmental Commitment and Monitoring Plan
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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ooaSH

Trend monitoring will be used to evaluate the long-term trends of the resources. Trend
monitoring is important component for a holistic, ecosystem-based monitoring program,
because ecosystems are dynamic and inherently variable in space and time, and because there
may be a lag-time in measurable changes due to a particular effect.

Compliance monitoring will be implemented through the administration of the Project's
construction contracts, Contractors and subcontractors will be required to comply with all
applicable federal, state, and local laws, orders and regulations, conceming water quality, air
quality, noise, lighting and hazardous wastes, and comply with all terms and conditions of
applicable permits, If there is a conflict between federal, state and local laws, regulations, and
requirements, the most stringent shall apply.

The monitoring program is an essential part of the Project. Monitoring provides managers the
opportunity to evaluate Project impacts and to identify unanticipated effects before they
become problematic to resources. Thus, monitoring is an important tool in adaptive
management, in that it provides data on resource response by which to make informed
decisions about continued and future operations, Monitoring also provide managers with
information on the effectiveness of mitigation measures and the basis to change or modify
these measures to achieve the desired results. The monitoring program will maintain the
flexibility to adapt to unexpected conditions that may require modifying sampling designs or
parameter measurements.

2.2 IMPLEMENT A TION OF THE AVOIDANCE! MINIMIZATION, COMPENSATORY
MITIGATION AND MONITORING COMMITMENTS

Specific impacts that may and/or will occur as a result of the construction, development and
operation of the Animas-La Plata Project were identified and discussed in Chapter 3 of the 2000
FSEIS, Following is a listing of the significant and potentially significant impacts as identified
in Chapter 3, a listing of the minimization and avoidance measures that will be used during
project construction and operation to minimize impacts, compensatory mitigation measures that
will be implemented for unavoidable impacts, and environmental monitoring measures that will
be used during project construction and operation. Attachment A contains a summary of all the
environmental commitment, where the commitments can be found in the ALP Project NEP A
compliance documents and the status of each commitment as of December 31, 2003. Additional
mitigation and monitoring other than what is listed may be added as the project proceeds
through construction and into operation,

1) Water ResourceslHydrology - Construction and operation of the ALP Project will result in
an average annual depletion of 57,100 acre-feet (af) from the San Juan River system. Water
will be diverted from the Animas River at the Durango Pumping Plant. Pumping rates will
vary from 0 to 280 cubic feet per second (cfs), depending on user demand and season of the
year. Attachment F in Volume 2 of the 2000 FSEIS shows the affect of project operation on
the Animas River, The average annual impact to flow in the Animas River is a reduction in

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