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<br />C> <br />o <br />l) <br />~ <br />UI <br />W <br /> <br />estimates prior to 1991 can be verified currently, There are plans to update the <br />information in CRDSS, but that update is approximately one year off, <br />Our work using CROSS in its current operating configuration has verified that the <br />consumptive use data provided to the USF&WS in 1991 was fairly good, The only <br />difference of significance was noted in the Pine River Basin were the 1991 estimates <br />were approximately 9,500 acre-feet lower, Our comparisons between the 1991 baseline <br />and CRDSS are shown at in the Table immediately following, Please note that the <br />CROSS consumptive use values are reflective of aU uses including all transmountain <br />diversions, <br />Again, consumptive uses in the McElmo Creek Basin (WD 32) were not included in <br />the baseline because those consumptive uses are satisfied by imports from the Dolores <br />River Basin and thus those consumptive uses do not result in a loss to the native or <br />natural flows of the San Juan, However, return flows of Dolores Project and MVIC water <br />to the San Juan River should be credited against losses to native flows in the San Juan, <br />These return flow credits also need to consider the long-term impacts of the McElmo <br />Creek Salinity Control Program, Historically, return flows in McElmo Creek have been <br />greater than the 22,000 af expected after the salinity control project is functioning fully, <br />Finally, we caution the USF&WS that simply because we indicate an increase in <br />consumptive use through better and more complete information does not necessarily <br />mean that the observed flows in the San Juan have been or will be less, This can not be <br />fairly concluded until the San Juan "natural flows" (undepleted and unregulated flows) <br />have been reviewed to determine whether or not the consumptive uses now identified <br />were fairly included in the development of the natural flow data base originally, <br />In conclusion, we believe this information fairly represents baseline conditions in the <br />State of Colorado portion of the San Juan River Basin at the present time, <br /> <br />Attachments <br />DRS <br /> <br />cc: <br />Chuck Lile w\o attachments <br />Hal Simpson w\o attachments <br />Peter Evans w\o attachments <br />Bill Stanton w\o attachments <br />Bruce Whitehead w\o attachments <br />Bob Daniels w\o attachments <br /> <br />Randy\C:\msoffice\winword\sjripeb I.doc <br /> <br />4 <br />