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. . . ~ . ',." . ~ 30 withholding or restricting sales of water when habitat is being negatively impacted, status quo could be maintained. However, the precise amount of water needed to avoid jeopardy to Colorado squawfish cannot be determined at this time since the minimum flow necessary to maintain an adequate amount of adult and spawning habitat has not been established. Since the amount of water cannot be precisely determined, the Service evaluated a proposal made by the Upper Colorado River Coordinating Committee for consideration in this biological opinion. The proposal involved using 10,000 afof water from Ruedi and/or Green Mountain Reservoirs to supplement flows in the IS-mile reach during the Colorado squawfish spawning and recruitment period. This time period was targeted due to the critically low flow conditions that currently exist in the IS-mile reach and the limited amount of successful Colorado squawfish spawning and recruitment that is currently occurring in the Colorado River. Key elements of this proposal include: 1. The release schedule for the 10,000 af would be determined by the Service (in coordination with the Upper Colorado River Coordinating Committee) . 2. The flows would be legally protected and administered by the State of Colorado to ensure their delivery to occupied habitat areas below Palisade, Colorado. A hydrology scenario was simulated to evaluate the effect of 10,000 af of releases from Ruedi Reservoir on the flow and habitat conditions in the IS-mile reach. The analysis was accomplished by replacing the Ruedi Reservoir operation tables with new tables supplied by Reclamation which reflected the reoperation of Ruedi Reservoir with the 10,000 af of flows. A preliminary release schedule for the 10,000 af was developed by the Service to provide for Colorado squawfish habitat during the probable spawning and larval development and/or transport period in the IS-mile reach. The following release schedule distributes the flows over a 2 month time period that varies by water year: Water Year dry average wet Release Oates 7/15 - 9/15 8/1 - 9/30 8/1 - 9/30 Days 62 62 62 Release/dav laf/cfsl 161 af/81 cfs 161 af/81 cfs 161 af/81 cfs Note: Specific, year-to-year adjustments to this release schedule will likely be required as better information becomes available on the habitat needs of the endangered fish. Due consideration will be given to the Fryingpan River trout fishery and Ruedi Reservoir recreation impacts in the development of a release schedule for the endangered fish flows. Reclamation also will consider making some of the releases from Green Mountain Reservoir to further reduce the impacts on Ruedi Reservoir and the Fryingpan River.