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<br />The flow recommendation report are suggested operating rules for several levels of <br />development in the basin, Applying these rules allows water development to proceed and average <br />annual depletion in the basin to increase above the level set in the 1991 opinion (642,100 acre-feet <br />measured at the United States Geological Survey (USGS) gaging station on the San Juan River at <br />Four Corners, New Mexico), These operating procedures are recommendations, Any operating <br />procedure that would allow the flow recommendations for the fish. or a reasonable alternative, to be <br />met would be acceptable, <br /> <br />Related or Connected Actions <br /> <br />Navajo Reservoir Operations is a connected action to the proposed ALP Project and other <br />water resource activities in the San Juan basin, such as the Navajo Indian Irrigation Project (NIlP), <br />This connection stems from: I) past ESA consultations which established and relied upon the <br />Recovery Program and listed certain reasonable and prudent alternatives to avoid jeopardy to the <br />endangered species in question; 2) San Juan River flow recommendations, developed and approved <br />by the Recovery Program; and 3) Reclamation's previous commitment to operate Navajo Reservoir <br />for the benefit of endangered fish in the San Juan Basin, <br /> <br />Final biological opinions on other San Juan Basin projects follow the precedence set by ALP, <br />On March 4, ] 998. tinal biological opinions were issued on the Mancos Water Conservancy District <br />(irrigation and M&I water conversion), and the Florida Project (water sales contracts), Language in <br />these opinions state that: <br /> <br />To avoid jeopardy to the Colorado pikeminnow and razorback sucker and to avoid <br />destruction,or adverse modification from the 200 acre-feet water depletion, Reclamation, in <br />consultation with the Service, will re-operate Navajo Dam to mimic the natural hydrograph <br />of the San Juan River, as agreed to as a result of consultation on the Animas-La Project. This <br />operations agreement also will serve as the reasonable and prudent alternative to the subject <br />project <br /> <br />The July 14, 1999, biological assessment for the completion of the Navajo Indian Irrigation <br />Project (NIlP) includes a commitment by the Bureau of Indian Affairs for Reclamation to operate <br />Navajo Dam to meet the flow recommendations, However, Reclamation was not consulted and has <br />not committed to meet flow recommendation pending completion of this EIS, The operation of <br />Navajo Dam will not be dependent upon completion Section 7 consultations for ALP or NIlP; <br />however, full completion of those projects is dependent upon the operation of Navajo Dam, <br /> <br />Other actions which may be related to the operation of Navajo Reservoir include the Navajo- <br />Gallup Pipeline, actions to implement some or all of the Jicarilla Apache water right settlement, and <br />related minor water service contracts, <br /> <br />7 <br /> <br />Co, '. p (~'O <br />; _t _< . <br />