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i,-..,:!ff;",~-- -~"._<~---'-._..'-~ .--- Appendix IV Development of a Reasonable and Prudent Alternative construction deadline imposed by the 1988 Settlement Act. He described his role at this meeting as one of bringing the Service and the Bureau together to develop a final biological opinion that would include an acceptable alternative. He characterized the development of the alternative as a compromise based on assumptions that a biological study would be conducted to collect information on the Colorado squawfish, that releases from the Navajo Dam and Reservoir would be used to mimic the naturall10ws of the San Juan River, and that some of the project's facilitieswouldbecorurnructed. Participants in the August 1990 meeting told us that the officials agreed that approximately 50,000 acre-feet of water would have to be depleted from the river annually to meet the needs of municipal, agricultural, industrial, and Indian water users. Of this amount, 40,100 acre-feet would be reserved for Indian users. The participants at the meeting also decided that the Service would incorporate these water depletions into an alternative to be included in its final biological opinion. According to notes from the meeting, the participants agreed that an interagency group could work out details of the alternative within 60 days. In October 1990, the Bureau formed three teams to develop a final alternative that would allow construction of some of the project's facilities. The teams subsequently provided the Bureau with additional data and opinions on the development of the final proposed alternative. For example, the hydrology team increased the minimum anticipated ,depletions of water from the Animas River from 50,000 acre-feet to 57,100 acre-feet to acCOlll1t for potential evaporation. The Bureau forwarded the final proposed alternative to the Service in March 1991, and the Service incorporated the alternative into its final biological opinion in October 1991. Elements of the Accepted Alternative The 1991 alternative contained several elements, and according to the Service's final biological opinion, all these elements must be implemented to avoid jeopardizing the squawfish. Under the alternative, construction was limited to some, but not all, of the facilities planned for the first phase of the project: a pumping station to pump water from the Animas River, a conduit to carry water from the river, and the Ridges Basin Dam and Reservoir to store the water. In addition, the alternative limited the amount of water that can be annually depleted from the Animas River to 57,100 acre-feet. The alternative also required a 7-year-long study of the needs of the Colorado squawfish and provided for a fish recovery program Page 20 GAOIRCED-lJ6.1 AnIma.o-La Plata Projeet