WSP02417

• File Number: 8240.200.10.L
• Description: Colorado River Threatened-Endangered - UCRBRIP - Program Organization-Mission - Newsletters-Articles
• State: CO
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Water Division: 5
• Date: 12/5/2001
• Author: Tom Pitts
• Title: Into the Future - The Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program - Colorado Water Rights - Volume 20-Number 2 - Fall 2001
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Publication

OOll8?\)

INTO THE FUTURE:
The Upper Colorado River Engangered Fish Recovery Program

hy Turn Pius
Upper B;Jsln W..ler Users Rc:pre~C:nl:lli\'e
Rt:'co~ery Implemenl:J.llon Program for Endangered Fi.,h SpeclI=s
in [he l..;pper Colorado Ri\'er 8:lsin

In"oducrion

The Colorado Waler Congress has been involved
.....ith the Endangered Species Act (ESAl tn the UpJJeT
Colorado River Basin sin'!: December I. 1983 On thaI
dale. Colorado Warer Congress estabhshed the SpeCIal
PrOject on l'hrEalened and Endangered SpeCI!:S. The
Upper Basm Endangered FIsh Recovery Program was
established .nJanuary. 1988 and has been in operation for
13 yem. The goal 15 to recover four endangered fish
SpeCICS (Colorado plkemlMow. ruorbaclr; suck.er. bony-
wI o1J1d humpback. chub) ....hlle Willer development pro-
ceed:! in 3CCOIliancc with Sl.ltc law and intentatc com-
paclS. TIlls .uticlc reviews the 3Ccomplishmcnl.'l of the
Program and. more Imponalllly. dISCUS.seS the ful\lre of
lhe Prognun and CWC involvemenl In endangered
5peclCS aclivllie~ m the Upper Basm. Sigmficam ESA
acnvllle'J in the Upper Colorado River Ba.nn go bad: to
J973(sec 80"' I).

..j, SU~~U5 SIan

The upper B:I5In ProFJ'1lTl IS !!~I1In~ ~ood reVI~""
from very dltferem source~ (5<< Bo~ :!). Broce Babbill.
In hIS 1J..:\1 speech :15 Secretary of 1he Imenor 10 me
Colon.do RIver Waler Usn~ A.~SOClallon. ~ald thai lhl~
Prop:un is a success slOry. R~presenlallve JIm Hansen
(R-Utahl. J. conservallve member or Congre~~. .ays that
me ProFJ'1lTl prOVIdes an "ample of ho\V the Endan~ered
Species ACI shollld be implememed The'ie ~enllemen
approachmePro~fromverydlfferenlpoll1icalpc'r'
specllves.yel reach me SJ.lT1e conclusions. Rep. Han~n
was lhe pnme sponsor of feden.1 le~islal1on In me House
of Representallvcs10 auihonzeconnnued rundin~ lor Ihe
Recovery Pro~lAm Secretary Babblll offered ke~ ~up-
pon wlihln the AdminIstration for the le~lsl~llon The
bill \Vas sl~ned InlO law b, lhe Preslljem on Ocrober :!O.
2000 P.L. ]06-392L
There are several underlYing lesson~ tor Ihe
Pro~s suceess. The firsr and foremosl is rhar the
Program meels the rw:eds of Ihose panicipaling In the
Prop-am. Those dl,'erse p.1l"lIClpanlS (SCC Bo'\ ~l Include
lhe federal agency havmg regul;l1ory responsibililies (or
endangered specles (USFWS1. federal a~enCles needlOj!
ESA comphance \il.cclamallon. WAPAJ. lhe Slales. \ValC'r
users. enVironmentalists. and power users.
For Upper Basm waler user; and federal ~gencles
seekmg comphance wlm me Endangered Species ACl.me
Program has bee" very ~uccessful (sc.: Bo", 41 Since rhe
Progr.un began. a lotal of 627 walC'r projecls deplC'llng
approltimately 1.7 mIllion .1cre-feet/year ot waler have
achieved compliance with the ESA. with the Recovery
Propam activllies serving as miligallon for impacls 10
endangered lish species. This mcluues 3g2 small proJecls
dep]etlng less than lOOacre.[ee1 per year. TheseproJecls
havebccnsp.uedthee~pellscofhinnghydmlo'lsIS.biol"
oglSu.andanorneyslodcflnelmpactsandlohelpunder-
sland how rhey can comply WIth !he Endangered SpecIes
ACI. No lawsulls have been filed by any party on ESA
compli.:uu:eunderihe Program.
Tbc faClmar the Program \Vorlcs fOT federal agellcles
and waler U5Cf'S lleedmg ESA compliance is Just one
aspeCI of the successful Propam. The Program also
worb for the SUtCs. The fundame"taJ 1I11em of the
Prognm IS !hat II will operare 111 accordance with S[ale

"Jla l~" ~I"I ifUel_IJte ,','mpJ..:I_ JII'~JIlI1~ "~Ier .,m'lIl~
Ih.._IJle_ rni_I'>J_"-rlln~lrle"J_ r"unUJ/llCnlJII""uql-
l.u1Ce ut Ihe Pro)o!r..un t-, the 'lJle~ oII1J ""leT u_cn- lnue'
IhlS PrOglolm. the ulllled Slale' re~"!!nlz,,~ InJI ",,"'1
neC'Ucd 10 pro"l<k hal'>Illlll01 cndan~ercd fl_h mU'1 to<-
"'llulred In KcordJ/lCe.....lth.'1.11e wal..r I"". In Ju.:hllon.
Ihe PrO!(r.lJl\ worl.~ clo_el~ .....uh \l.:lre ".Idhte J~enclc_ nn
IS!iues 'uch ii_ nonn.1t1Ve rl~h cOfUrol ThC' Pm!!r.un lhu_
J"oids conlhCl~ wuh both slllle ......ler 1.1" J/lU'I.11e
"'Ildlife la...
Envlronmem.:ll or!!anll;Jl'OnS paniclpaled in ne!!oIlJ-
lion oi the Pro!!ram and partlcipale 10 1l~ ImplemenIJlU'n.
E.lch ~ear their reprc"OlJlJve~ Join ol/1.cr PrOf:I;un pam,'.
lpalllS In \(:ekln,!! con~re~~JOllal Jppropn.Jl1on. for lhe
Pro~ram. ThC' Prog:rarn pmvlde<envlronmefU.J1 OI!!anlz;I'
lions WIth thc mean~ for.,&l;hievmg lheir 10.11- rurcml.Jn.
~el1:'d species prOleCllon
The U.S. Fi_h and Wildlife Se["\.'lce i, ~hJf~ed "Ilh
implemenlln~ the i:.nd.in,!!ered SpecIe' Acl. The Pro,!!ram
pro\'idc~ .I mech:ll'll~m t'or Implemenlinr the A":l WLlh
respecr 10 the four endJ/l~ered fish thal h:l.' .uppon 01
olher feder.al a!!enCle~. lne St:lle~. waler user~. en,'iron-
meOlill Or!!anlZJ110nS and lX''''er usel"\ Thl' suppan
~lands In ~larlc CO"lrasl 10 ollw:r areas or the '"OUOl!)' \Vlth
respect 10 Implemenlilllon of me EndAn,!!ered SpeCieS Acl.
espeCIally In \he western UnLled Slille~. Fat morc can be
Jchleved b:!, Ihe Progr.am than by mdlvldual Willer user<
provldlllgmlll!(<Atlon.
The Colorado RrveT Energy Dlstnbulors As_welanon
ICREDAI supportS the Propam as 01'lC' lholl ha:. a lime
limir and a financIal cap for COlllnbullOn!i by elle'l!Y
users Once again. this stands in conuasllo whal IS !!oing.
oniIlOlhcrarea..<.sucha.~theColumblail.lverba.slOwhere
lhe power user; arc paymg several hundred million dol.
lars a year for eftons on endangered salmon. With no end
In 51lhl.
The Program works ror Con~ss as well. Funding
reque51s ~ supponed by the Slales. WlIler users. enVlron-
menIal OIganlZ.J.lion5. and CREDA U.S FIsh and
Wildlife Service and Reclamalion ellSure that agreed
upon lunding needs are Insened In their budgels each
year Therefore. Prop-am panlclpanls arc nOl a..sl'-lng our
dele gallons or appropnallons suOcomrmnccs for more
money lhan the Adml1ll5tr.llioll IS I1:queslin!l. Members
Conri1lu~d 011 Pag~ 4

Box 1: ChronolOl!v of Maior ESA Events in the UDDer Colorado River Basin
.I 1973 - Passage of ESA: lisling .I DKember 1. 1983. Colorado connict In operallon
of Colorado pikeminnowtllump- Water CongrESS organize5 .I 1987 - Final Recovery Program .I 1991 . Razorback sucker liSle<!
back chub as cndange~d Special ProjccllO negotiate negOlialed wim goals 10 as endange~d
.I 1975 - Section 7 consultations connicu wilh EndangC'r~d 0 Recover endangered fish .I J 999 - Work begms on specific
Species Act
began on federal water projects 0 PrOVide ESA compliance recovery goals for four endan-
m me Upper Colorado River .I March I 984-Upper Colorado gered fish speCIeS
BIlSID RiVer Comminte eStablished for water proJects
(federal agencies.sla[es. Waler .I 2000 - PL ] ()6...392 aUlhonzlDg
.I 1980 - BOIlytaJ.1 llsled as endan- .I 1988 - GOvernors and Secre1.3.ry tederaVpower users/.1nd state
users. and environmentalIsts) ro oflhe Jmerior sIgn agrcemenllO
gered negolll[esolUlion COSI shanng for Recovery
implement "Upper Colorado Program
.I June ]983" USFWS draft .I 1985 . Colorado Water RIver Endangered Fish
repan sUlting no funher dep]e. Congre~ proposes ., Reco'-ery Recovery Program" .I 2001 - Final draft recovery
lions in !.he Upper Basin unless Program" as 3 resolutiOll 10 .I ]988-200] . Reco"ery Program goals published for public
replaced on a one-for-one basis review

I04UlS/m ,,"O......Il..lorlorlHp<oI<<fJo1l, co..........."o.."'lddIL.,lo,,,..,..ro/u.......{..,M.......o/~

FALL 2001

VOL. 20. NO. :;

Published by Colorado Water Congress