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The second area of flexibility exists as full water development occurs. Minimum releases would be 250 cfs, but existing flexibility within the endangered fish flow recommendations could allow minimum summer releases to be above 250 cfs. During the Navajo Reservoir Operations Meetings and in consultation with the Service, an operation plan to meet endangered fish flows, authorized project purposes, and water development needs will be prepared. Unutilized or unaccounted for water, resulting from the aforementioned variables, would be identified and used '}.to increase summer releas~in only that particular year. . Lv.>~ ^-'-~ ~,..".JcLe;; Part of the proposea' action is to implement a process of "adaptive management," whereby the effects of dam operations on endangered fish and their habitat and downstream resources would be monitored and the results of that monitoring would form the basis for possible future tests or modifications of dam operations and/or the flow recommendations. Through this process there might be water identified in the system or operations that could be available at different times or for other purposes than those contemplated herein. Adaptive management is already considered within the flow recommendations, in that the flow recommendations may be adjusted as new information is gained through monitoring arid research. Impacts to be monitoredij:laf include effects of dam releases on endangered species habitats, irrigation diversion facilities, the trout fishery, and the ability to implement water rights. The concept of adaptive management is based on the recognized need for operational flexibility to respond to future varying conditions, including weather, streamflow, channel morphology, and other ecosystem components. The adaptive management program will occur as part of Reclamation's existing Navajo Operations Meetings which will provide an organization and process for cooperative integration of dam operations, resource protection and management, and monitoring and research information. These meetings will ensure that the EIS purpose and need are met through future advances in information and resource management FLOW RECOMMENDA nONS Mimicry of a natural hydrograph is the basis of the flow recommendations for the San Juan River. The recommendations provide flow variability that is necessary to create and maintain habitat for the Colorado pikeminnow and razorback sucker. The recommendations integrate hydrology, geomorphology, habitat, and biology to define flow magnitude, duration, and frequency for the spring runoff and base flow periods. In general the flow recommendations provide for a spring peak flow and a base flow at other times of the year. For a complete description of the recommendations, Flow Recommendations for the San Juan River prepared by the SJRBRIP (Holden, 1999), should be referred to. The "...flow/duration/frequency recommendations will result in a naturally varying hydro graph, ' providing high-flow and low-flow years. These recommendations also provide for adequate base flow conditions and peak flow conditions of sufficient magnitude, duration, and frequency to 8 00683