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<br />I~ <br /> <br />.. -.:;- <br /> <br />".ui- <br /> <br />.-"...:0. "" "'-'._ <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />d <br />" <br /> <br />, <br />I'"' <br /> <br />- 60 - <br /> <br />The DEIS provides elsewhere that the "preferred" <br /> <br />water alternative is: <br /> <br />v <br /> <br />"Use of the Green River water with pur- <br />chase of Flaming Gorge storage water by <br />Deseret and appropriate releases by the <br />Water and Power Resources Service to <br />avoid jeopardy impacts to endangered <br />fish species in the Green River." <br />DEIS at 125. <br /> <br />Finally, the DEIS concludes: <br /> <br />v <br /> <br />"As indicated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife <br />Service (USFWS), withdrawals of water from <br />the Green or White Rivers for this project <br />is likely to jeopardize the continued <br />existence of three endangered fish species <br />in the Colorado River system. However, if <br />water were purchased from Flaming Gorge, <br />thus replacing water withdrawn from the <br />Green River for the Moon Lake Project, the <br />endangered fishes would not be affected." <br />DEIS at 5. <br /> <br />This conclusion is completely erroneous. Purchase <br /> <br />v <br /> <br />of water from Flaming Gorge would not reduce net depletion <br />of the Green River below the Walker Hollow diversion. <br /> <br />,Purchase of water from Flaming Gorge would merely repre- <br /> <br /> <br />sent a paper transaction for the purchase of water which <br /> <br />would otherwise have to be released from the Reservoir <br /> <br />and would involve at most a reregulationof flow in that <br /> <br />River. Such a transaction cannot "make water." In order <br /> <br />for such a solution to eliminate risk of impacts on en- <br /> <br />dangered species, water would have to be purchased from <br /> <br />a different river system. <br /> <br />, <br /> <br />0372 <br />