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6 3,300 acre-feet annually. Secondary storage would be provided at Southern Ute Reservoir, an offstream facility located about 2 miles east of the La Plata River on the Colorado-New Mexico State line. Southern Ute Reservoir would have a maximum capacity of 70,000 acre-feet--40,000 acre-feet of active, usable capacity and 30,000 acre-feet of inactive, dead storage. Evaporation from Southern Ute Reservoir is estimated at 3,200 acre-feet annually, None of the above depletions will occur until completion of the Ridges Basin Dam and Durango Pumping Plant, which is currently estimated to occur in approximately 5 to 6 years. Upon completion of the Project, full development and operations would result in a net average annual depletion of 154,800 acre-feet of water. The Project would pump water from the Animas River via the Durango Pumping Plant, through Ridges Basin inlet conduit to Ridges Basin Reservoir for storage. Stored water would be used for irrigation and industrial needs of the Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Ute Indian Tribes; other Colorado and New Mexico irrigators; and municipal and industrial uses for Durango, surrounding communities, and northwestern New Mexico. During low-flow periods, stored water would be released back to the Animas River through the inlet conduit to meet Aztec, Farmington, and other municipal and industrial needs in New Mexico. Additionally, stored water would be pumped through Ridges Basin Pumping Plant on the west end of the reservoir, into Dry Side Canal for delivery to Project lands as depicted in Figure 1. Southern Ute Reservoir would store La Plata River water, diverted by the Southern Ute Diversion Dam and conveyed to the reservoir through the inlet canal. Water stored in Southern Ute Reservoir would be used for irrigation and municipal and industrial needs for the Southern Ute Indian Tribe in New Mexico. Basis for ODinion This biological opinion is based on the full Project development scenario as requested by Reclamation. Reclamation estimates that the Project would result in a net average annual depletion of 154,800 acre-feet of water from the two rivers. The Animas and La Plata Rivers are tributaries to the San Juan River, which is inhabited by a reproducing population of Colorado squawfish. Water depletions in the Upper Colorado River Basin (Upper Basin) have long been recognized as a major source of impact to endangered fish species. The Service believes that continued withdrawal of water throughout the Upper Basin has restricted the ability of the Colorado River system to produce flow conditions required during various life stages of the fish. Numerous impoundments and diversions have altered the shape of natural hydrographs by reducing peak discharges as much as 50 percent in some reaches, while doubling base flows in others. The San Juan River has fared no better than the rest of the Upper Basin. Significant depletions and redistribution of flows of the San Juan River have occurred as a result of water development projects. Because of drastic reductions of Colorado squawfish populations, the Service 1iste~ :his species as endangered throughout its entire range, with the excepcion of the Salt and Verde Rivers drainages in Arizona where attempted reintroductions of endangered fishes have been classified as nonessential, experimental populations.