WSPC00582

• File Number: 8220.106.I
• Description: Colorado River Water Projects - Animas La Plata - Environmental Studies
• State: CO
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Water Division: 5
• Date: 1/1/2005
• Author: Unknown
• Title: Animas La Plata Project - Mitigation Area - Wetland-Riparian and Wildlife Mitigation - 2004 Annual Report - Reclamation - Managing Water in the West
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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l'IiTROnt:CTIO~ A:\1l PIU:-F.XISTI\G (,O:\D1TIO:'l!S AT Tm: .\IA

I.l Rllcl'l::round

In Jul~ 2000, Ihe Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), in ooopera1ioll with the Environmental
PMe.:lion Agency (EPA),lhe Ute Mount.ain Ute Tribe (UMLrT) and the Southern Ute Indian
Tribe (SUln. comlllC1ed the Final Supph:mcmal Environmental Impact Statement (FSEISJ fur
lhe ALP Proje<:1. The purpose of tile ALP Project i$to implcmL"l1\ the Colorado Ule lmlian
Waler Rights Sclllement Act of ]988 (P.L. lOO-S8Sj, 11$ amended by the ('olorndo Ute
Settlement Act Amen..lmen15 of2000. The ALP Projoct islocalod in southwestern ColoraJo and
will SC'f'\oC this area alK! nonhweslcm New Mexico. The ALP Project's principle stl'Ul:tllraJ
cnmponenl will he an off-channcl resef\'oir;n Ridges Basin to alo~ Wlllt'f diverted from the
Anima, River. Ridges Ba.~in Reservoir will have lllotal slOI:&.gc ciIf'a.o::ity of llf'pro~imlltel)'
120,0110 1IC1"r feet. A pumping pllllltllll<l inlet conduit will he llged to di\"erl wll1cr from Allimil-'
Ri\"CTIlIl<ltn<leli\"er it to the l'CSC1'Voir (orstoragc. Ba'iio Creek will be used to cOI1\"ey ALP
Projcctwalcrback 10 lite Aoill\.ll.' Ri\'cr fur <I"wostream ,Icli\"et')'.

Acc{lnling to the FSEIS, conslruction of Ridges BlI8in Dam and lite filling ofw rescrv[lirwill
rt'Sult in lite ?'Cf'ITUUlet1t In'l,,ofI21 acrcsofetnerl!et1twcllandhnhitats. Also,appro~imlltel)'13
acresofripanan !1aO;lal downstream of the dam will he impacted. Thus, a lotal ofl3.\ llCl'I:!< of
wetland/riparian hahilals will he impacted M a result of lite Al.P Project. A5 slaled in lite FSElS
allllthe suh~'<lUrnl Rcoonl ofOccisioll (ROD), Redamalioll will mitigate for thCllC impdCL' at a
mtio u( 1.5:1 which is within the rangeo(r,l.lios mentioned in soctioolO.5 of the 4(\4(bH I)
F.\-aluation n:p"rt Wld 1M \'arious options di'Cus..ro in the prelimilUlr)' estimares ofmitigalion
.}pportunities in th" \Ve1Jands ~itigatiol1 Opportunities Rcpol1 (Opportunities Reportl <Icvelnped
for the FSElS (Volume II oflhe FSF.IS). The fish all.! Wil<lhfeCOIlrdinalioll Act RqKln.1li
summarilOO in Ihe FSEIS Volume I. refers ttllllld C{lncurs with section 5.4.4 oflhe F$F.lS which
oommitlltothel.5:lacremiligatiollnltiofor"ctlnnd!-'riparianmitigation,

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SecTion Hl.50flhc404(hl(l)b'alua1J<ln rcport in the FSElS sllllgca15miligatillnnuiOllofl to I
fOT reslorlltion, 2 10 I fnrefeatinn,and3tlll for enhancement and preservation lprotectitln), The
OrJl'oI1Unilies RcpondescribcsmiTigatiol1 '~credits"accoTdinglothescTaTios. Rcchul1lllion
negotilltOO II ralio of 1.5 to I ull.W't'ooloh)'lhefPAan<ltheli.S.FishandWildli feService
~SCTVice) and commil1ed to it In Ihe FSEIS and the ROn for all wc\landlnparian mitigation
a<:tivillcs. Reclamation's enhancemenl, protection, CTealitlll and resloration ofa ~verd)'
impacled ripanan area ",ill dearly provide elTCClivc mitigalion for theacrcs of wctlandlripanan
hahiti.l loslin Ridgcs Basin IlJ1d IlI11ng Basin Crcck_

Roclamalilln ,'omdlllatoo potential miTigalion Opror1uIliIIC~ 10 replace Ihe rUllCtlon~ and \'Hlucs of
Ihewetlandirir:u'ianhahilallhalwillhcimpa<:lcdhythc ALP i>rojcct...ithspecillli, ts
represenTing the EPA, the Service IlJ1d the Colorado DivisionofWildhfc (('nOW). II WI\.<
agreed among the agencies thallhe best opportunity 10 r..'pll1ee wetlanll'riparian impacu would
ht'1I1ongtheLaPlllraRivCTcorridorwherccnhaneemcolispoisihlehccause: I) the floodplain of
the ri\'CT eorridnr has hcen mndilicdhyagncllITuraldcvclopmen13l1d channclil.a lionprojeo:15foT
lloodpnllCClion(andhighwayprol<:ctionl.2lundcsirahlcwccdspcciesarereplacingnali\'e