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<br />Plan may
<br />protect
<br />river fish
<br />
<br />.,
<br />
<br />By Matt Kelley
<br />AssocIated I'ress Writer
<br />
<br />_" WASHINGTON - A compro-
<br />mise plan to pay for protecting four
<br />endangered fish species in the Col.
<br />orado and Sanjuan river basins has
<br />been introduced in Congress '.ith
<br />suPPOrt from environmental
<br />groups and some Republican critics
<br />of the Endangered Species Act,
<br />Proponents say helping save the
<br />fish now could head off future
<br />water use restrictions in a broad
<br />swath of the increasingl)' thirsty
<br />West. '
<br />"The idea is, it'll be less cosdv in
<br />the long run," said Sen, Wa"ne
<br />Allard. R-Colo" who introduced 'the
<br />Senate version of the plan Friday,
<br />Rep. Jim Hansen, R,Utah, intro-
<br />duced an identical plan in the
<br />House earlier this summer. His co-
<br />sponsors included Colorado
<br />Republicans Scott McInnis and Bob
<br />Schaffer,
<br />The Colorado River fish plan
<br />also has the suPPOrt of some en\i,
<br />ronmental groups, such as the Emi.
<br />ronmental Defense Fund,
<br />"We don't agree on a lot of
<br />things, but this looks co the water
<br />users to be a good deal and looks to
<br />
<br />lUr:::r-rk2 ;"::"1-" t::U::j;oe?'t'
<br />
<br />THE DURANGO HERALD
<br />
<br />Saturday, August 7, 1999
<br />
<br />the environmental communitl' to
<br />be a reasonable and serious effort:
<br />said Dan Luecke of the EDF,
<br />The proposal would set aside
<br />S46 million in federal monel' for
<br />projectS to help the razorback
<br />sucker, Colorado pike minno\\'.
<br />bony tailed chub and humpbacked
<br />chub,
<br />State and local governments
<br />would chip in $17 million, and the
<br />Western Area Power Adminislra-
<br />tion, which markets hydroelecuic
<br />power generated at dams on the
<br />river s)'stems, would contribute an
<br />addilional $17 million,
<br />The plan also would let WAPA
<br />buy up to $20 million in power
<br />from other sources to make up foJ'
<br />a loss of hydropo\\'er caused II)'
<br />changes in dam operation.
<br />The money would go to build;
<br />ing lish ladders and remu.'ing'
<br />other barriers at smaller irrigil-
<br />tion dams along the rivcrs and
<br />their tributaries, as lI'ell as build.
<br />ing alld upgrading fish hatcheries
<br />lo raise the cndauJ{crcrl fish and
<br />buyinK hotlOmtand (f) restore fish
<br />habilat.
<br />Fc(1<<.;r.11 umci.al~ h.\\'c a~rccc1 10
<br />change the way they operate dams,
<br />such as FlaminK Gorge and Navajo,
<br />to more closely mimic the river's
<br />nalura' pattern of spring and eady
<br />summer flooding.
<br />In June, such now reconllnen.
<br />dations were isslIed l>}' the San
<br />Juan Ril'er Recol'er)' lmplemell-
<br />tat,ion Prograill for Navajo Dam
<br />as a mitigating effort under the
<br />IOllg,slalled Animas,!..a Plata Pro-
<br />
<br />.t"AG.c
<br />
<br />2/
<br />
<br />jeel,
<br />The flow rccommendati~ns
<br />came after a seven-year study peria
<br />od by a (ousorl.iull1 of local, stale
<br />alld feder"l g'l'OllpS on how best '0
<br />protect the clldangcrccl ra1.orback.
<br />sucker and Colorado pike minnow
<br />while addressirlb" potellt.ial down..
<br />stream water interests,
<br />The San Jllan River runs
<br />throllgh NaI"tio Dam,
<br />Water llsers fcared the EndaJla
<br />gcrcrl Specie.II Act could ha,'c
<br />forced lIu;U1 10 drastic:aHy cUI'I.:'liI
<br />laking water from Ihe Colorado,
<br />the San Juan and their tributaries
<br />upstream of Lake Powell,
<br />"If you hal'e a big program that
<br />C~tn save the fish, it keeps the indi.
<br />\",dual (water) ~rojeets from being
<br />,"ck:d, If you wdl, for endangered
<br />species recovery, t'I said Wayne'
<br />Cook, executive director of the
<br />Upper Colorado River Commis,
<br />sian. l
<br />Environmentalists worried that
<br />without quick action, the nath'e fish;
<br />w01lld disappear from the river sys.
<br />tems.
<br />Decades of unnatural water
<br />flows because of t.he darns, as well
<br />as the introduction of non~nalive
<br />lish such as bass and carp, have
<br />pushed the native fish to the brink
<br />1.uccke said. .
<br />Supporters expect I'Iouse and
<br />SCI1~HC hearings on the plan lhis
<br />fnll,
<br />Slafl w!iler 10m Sill" eOTl/ribultd /0
<br />I"" "pori,
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