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<br />.' <br /> <br />COMMENTS ON BEHALF OF THE <br />SOUTHERN UTE INDIAN TRIBE <br />RE PRELIMINARY DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL <br />IMPACT STATEMJ!:NT fOR <br />NAVAJO RESERVOIR OPERATIONS <br /> <br />These preliminary comments are submitted on behalf of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe <br /> <br />("Tribe") in response to the Preliminary Draft Environmentallmpact Statement ("PDEIS") for <br /> <br />the Navajo Reservoir Operations. As mentioned at the Cooperating Agency meeting held on <br /> <br />November 28-29, 2001, we will not repeat all of the comments made at that time. Rather we will <br /> <br />wait to review the Advanced Draft Environmentallmpact Statement ("Advanced DE IS") prior to <br /> <br />reiterating those comments. m addition, we have attached and incorporate the comments of our <br /> <br />consultant, Bill Miller of Miller Ecological Consultants. mc. <br /> <br />I. CHAPTER I <br /> <br />A. PROPOSED ACTION <br /> <br />The language in the PDEIS and the Final Biological Opinion for the Animas-La Plata <br /> <br />Project, Colorado and New Mexico (June 19,2000) ("BO") needs to be consistent. The BO <br /> <br />provides that under the conservation measure "Reclamation is committing to operate Navajo <br /> <br />Reservoir to mimic the natural hydro graph of the San Juan River to benefit endangered fishes <br /> <br />and their critical habitat." BO at 9. Accordingly, Reclamation is presently operating the <br /> <br />Reservoir in this fashion. Thus, I-I, lines 25-3 I, should be modified as follows: <br /> <br />The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) proposes to operate Navajo Reservoir to help <br />implement Endangered Species Act {ESA)-related flow recommendations on the San <br />Juan River in the Four Comers area wl';~l. "Ilv;\' fv, to benetit en4angered fish recovery <br />and their critical habitat while allowing for future water development. To accomplish this <br />action, Reclamation wuuld .nud>f] tl1~ UI'~.Il:t;Ou uf will continue to operate Navajo Dam <br />and Reservoir to provide releases of water designed to I',ut~~t maintain and improve <br />habitat for the razorback sucker and Colorado pikeminnow ... while maintaining the <br />authorized purposes of the Navajo Unit, Colorado River Storage Project (CRSP). <br /> <br />00727 <br />