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-' lJD1578 FINAL DOCUMENT SAN JUAN RIVER BASIN RECOVERY IMPLEMENTATION PROGRAM RECOMMENDATION FOR HYDROLOGY COMMITTEE June 20, 2001 5.1.3 Hydrology Committee The Hydrology Committee is a formal committee of the Implementation Program, combining and replacing both the Navajo Dam Operating Committee (originally authorized as a committee in this Implementation Program) and the Ad Hoc hydrology committee formed in 1997. The Navajo Dam Operating Committee was formed to provide input to Reclamation during the 7- year research period to help assure that the interests of the water users in the San Juan Basin and those of the environment were considered and protected to the extent necessary when making releases, This was done with the explicit understanding that Reclamation has ultimate responsibility for making final decisions regarding the operation of Navajo Dam in accordance with standard operating procedures. In 1995, Reclamation began an effort to develop an operation model of the San Juan River. The Biology Committee recommended development of a standardized operation model for use during the flow recommendation development and review process, a part of the recovery program for the endangered fish. Reclamation and the Bureau of Indian Affairs on behalf ofNIIP took the lead in model development. To allow for input from other interested parties, an Ad Hoc committee was formed by these two agencies in 1997 that did not have formal status in this Implementation Program. Beginning in 1997, the Ad Hoc committee met periodically to review model input, calibration and verification and to provide comment on the model development. Participants have included representatives of Reclamation, the Bureau ofIndian Affairs-NIIP Project Office, the Service, the States of New Mexico and Colorado and the Southwestern Water Conservation District. The current San Juan Basin model is based on "RiverWare," a generic-modeling tool developed by CADSWES of Boulder, Colorado. "RiverWare" has been in a state of development, with new functionality added and continual changes in the rule language made during the course of the San Juan modeling project. Since this modeling tool will continue to be used to analyze the capability of the river system to meet flow recommendations, on-going changes and updates to the model are likely to continue. In fact, a list of recommended upgrades to the model and input data has been developed and prioritized for future implementation. This ongoing maintenance requirement would benefit from the involvement of parties with an interest in the water resources of the San Juan Basin. Reclamation has agreed that it has the primary responsibility for operating the model and to physically maintain the model and model software.