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<br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />'f <br /> <br />, <br /> <br />Area Manager <br />DRAFT <br /> <br />9 <br /> <br />Full development of State compact water. and Indian trust water, is not included in the depletion <br />table (Table I) that was used to detennine that the proposed action could meet the Flow <br />Recommendations. Only existing public and private projects, along with future projects that <br />have undergone section 7 consultation and NEP A analysis, are included in the table of <br />depletions. ' <br /> <br />Certain depletions that would occur under the completion of Navajo Indian Irrigation Project and <br />the Animas-La Plata Project depend on reoperation of Navajo Reservoir to mimic the natural <br />hydrograph as their commitment from prior section 7 consultation. Table 2 shows those projects <br />that are linked with reoperation of Navajo Reservoir to mimic the natural hydrograph. <br /> <br />Table 2 <br /> <br />The proposed action does not preclude future depletions; however, NEP A analysis and section 7 <br />consultation is necessary for any depletion with a Federal nexus. The SJRlP and Service have <br />developed principles that explain and outline the process under which additional water projects <br />and depletions will be evaluated (Attachment B). <br /> <br />Extreme Conditions <br />The following extreme conditions language was developed by Reclamation as a result of the <br />Shortage Sharing Recommendations process in 2003. The Shortage Sharing Recommendations <br />language was modified into extreme conditions language by Reclamation for potential use in <br />future years with either exceptionally high or low water availability. The entire Shortage Sharing <br />Recommendations, and associated documents developed for 2003 are available at <br />htm :11 southwest. fws. gov I si rip/. <br /> <br />During periods of exceptionally high inflow and high reservoir levels, Navajo Reservoir may <br />need to be operated with releases higher than 5,000 cfs. This would result in flows that exceed <br />the Corps of Engineer's (Corps) safe channel capacity (5,000 cfs) upstream from Farmington, <br />and may exceed the San Juan River channel capacity below the confluence with the Animas <br />River of 16,000 cfs. If reservoir releases need to be increased in the late summer or fall due to <br />heavy rainfall upstream from the reservoir, the unusually high inflows will be released as a fall <br />spike. <br /> <br />In periods of drought, when water storage shortages are anticipated to Navajo Reservoir water <br />users (such as occurred in 2003), reservoir shortage sharing plans will be developed with input <br />from the Service, New Mexico State Engineer, and reservoir water users. Shortages would be <br />allocated proportionately to each of these users and uses based upon P.L. 87-483, which directs <br />the Secretary of the Interior to allocate shortages in this fashion. The shortage sharing plans <br />could include modifications to normal operations of the reservoir and target base flows. In <br />periods of extreme, multi-year droughts, releases from Navajo Reservoir may have to be reduced <br />to match the inflow. <br />