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<br />tbat federal officials aren't com-
<br />pletely certain would use higher
<br />fibws and fisb ladders to return to
<br />wbat are considered former
<br />breeding grounds,
<br />During the next nine months,
<br />tbe Bureau of Reclamation will try
<br />to determine the effects of diver-
<br />sions on fisb populations, Recla-
<br />mation officials bave decided to
<br />build an estimated $1.5 million
<br />fisb ladder around the Redlands
<br />roller dam to open more tban 50
<br />miles of Gunnison River habitat to
<br />tbe endangered fisb. Uilenberg said,
<br />Tbe laqder would require a
<br />water flow of lOO cubic feet per
<br />second. and there must be 300 cfs
<br />below tbe roller dam to pro,'ide
<br />sufficient babitat for the fisb.
<br />Uilenberg said,
<br />, lftbose flows were to come Crom
<br />the Redlands Co" the power and
<br />irrigation agency would bave to
<br />sacrifice up to l6,8oo acre-Ceet oC
<br />water per year. Uilenberg said,
<br />Redlands Co, has tbe second-
<br />oldest rigbt on the river. so its call
<br />Cor that sbortage would prevent
<br />upstream users from utilizing jun-
<br />ior rights, Redlands also could
<br />pure base - at $43 an acre-foot -
<br />tbe water from tbe Aspinall unit,
<br />Uilenberg said, which would cost
<br />more than $700.000,
<br />Reduced water fiows also could
<br />affect the ability of Redlands Co,
<br />
<br />to make money througb power gen-
<br />eration, which Redlands omcials ,
<br />say pays halC oC tbeir operational
<br />costs, ." - ., I
<br />The bureau sai'd tner.; is about, '
<br />152,000 acre-feet of available Ced- '
<br />erally owned water in the Aspinall '
<br />unit, wbicb could be sold to offset,.
<br />requirements for in-stream tlows,
<br />"We're trying a different,
<br />approach," said Peter Evans, an
<br />aUorney with the Colorado',
<br />Department of Natural Resources,
<br />whicb is working on the fish-
<br />recovery program, Rather than
<br />pouring money into lawyers' pock-
<br />ets, be said. this gives Coloradans
<br />a better deal.
<br />Redlands Co, President Louis
<br />Brach said the U,S, Fish and Wild-
<br />life Service has repeatedly lied to
<br />Redlands omcials and has devel-
<br />oped a relationsbip with the com.
<br />pany that is defined by a long bis-
<br />tory oC broken promises and
<br />mistrust.
<br />"We don't oppose the fisb lad-
<br />der." Brach said, "We just don.t
<br />know iC thel' will take us to court
<br />to fight our ;".ter right." '
<br />The Bureau of Reclamation is
<br />collecting comments on its
<br />proposal.
<br />"The Endangered Species Act
<br />will fit into every aspect of the way
<br />we live and do business in this
<br />section of the country," Evans
<br />said,
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