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00l~Sl Purpose. and Need 1-1 Section 1.0 Purpose and Need 1.1 Introduction In 1987, the Uncompahgre Valley Water Users Association (UVWUA) and Montrose Partners Ltd., jointly referred to as the Sponsors, applied to the Bureau of Reclamation for authorization to develop the AB Lateral Hydropower Facility (Project). This facility would utilize certain features of the Uncompahgre Valley Reclamation Project (UVRP), and would be located in Montrose, Colorado. In 1989, the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) issued a Draft Environmental Impact Statement describing potential environmental impacts of this facility. The Final Environmental Impact Statement (PElS) was issued in 1990, and a Record of Decision authorizing execution of a lease of power privilege with the Sponsors was issued in 1991. Since that time, the Sponsors have been working to obtain a permit from the US Army Corps of Engineers in accordance with Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. This permit would authorize the Sponsors to construct bank stabilization measures along the Uncompahgre River downstream from the tailrace of the proposed Project. Studies conducted by the Sponsors for the Department of the Army permit, as well as other factors, have resulted in several changes to the project or its affected environment. Significant changes include: . Sponsors have proposed a Project size reduction from 950 cubic feet per second (cfs) to 850 cfs to reduce potential environmental effects. Additional economic evaluation has indicated that a further size reduction to 750 cfs, although not economically optimal, may be financially feasible. Locations of bank stabilization measures first proposed in the PElS have changed, as have the proposed stabilization techniques. Additional information regarding the geomorphology of the Uncompahgre and Gunnison Rivers has been acquired. Additional information regarding the Uncompahgre River's riparian wetlands has been acquired. Hydrologic data for the Gunnison and Uncompahgre Rivers have been updated to reflect more recent data and changes in Aspinall Unit operations. Whirling disease has been found in trout species in the Gunnison River. Consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has obtained additional information on threatened and endangered species in the affected area. . . . . . . These measures, along with other Project changes since the Record of Decision (ROD), are described in this Supplemental Environmental Impact Report (SEIR). Resource AB Lateral Hydropower Project July 2000 , ~'