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<br />Y' 09"00200DOC061301 ~lT 1 ~
<br />. 'NE- BRADFORD ~, .-::,HIPP,'
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<br />, LAW OFFICES P.O. EO~O~ 81301
<br />," DURIINGO '
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<br />i iIIay 10, 1990
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<br />Serving the San Juan
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<br />Volume 102 Number 259., Farmington, New Mexico Two sections 25 cent"
<br />,.~..
<br />NavajOiwafer.threatened
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<br />
<br />Bill Papich
<br />Staff writer ' ,
<br />, A study of Colorado squawfish In the
<br />, San Juan River may detennlne whether
<br />the Navajo Indian Irrigation Project
<br />south "of Farmington is ever fully de-
<br />veloped, according to the U.S. Fish and
<br />WlldUfe SeIVice. '
<br />A study Is needed to determine If
<br />Navajo Reservoir - whlcli provides ir-
<br />rigation water for NIlP - can hold
<br />, enough water to support future IrrIga-,
<br />,tion project plans and supply enough
<br />water (or squawflsh habitat down-
<br />stream,
<br />Squawflsh are on the government's
<br />endangered species list, and several of
<br />the fish have been discovered In the
<br />San Juan River west of Ship rock.
<br />Water releases from Navajo Reser-
<br />voir Into the rtver are at a minimum
<br />because of current drought conditions.
<br />Biologists say squawflsh depend on
<br />a degree of turbulence In waters they'
<br />inhabit. They say reservoirs limit river
<br />, flows, therefore threatening survival of
<br />
<br />squawfish. cording to the bureau. '
<br />, On Tuesday,' the U.S. Fish and 'Future plans for NIIP are to Irrigate
<br />WlIdllfe Service called a halt to con- an additional 60,000 acres, using an
<br />struction plans for the Animas-La Plata additional 121,000 acre-feet of reser-'
<br />ProJect, say1ng further studies are voir water, the bureau said.
<br />needed to delennlne If a reservoir on "All we can say at this point Is we
<br />the Animas River wtII endanger don't know what Is needed for the flsh,"
<br />sqllawfish In the San, Juan River. said Galen Buterbaugh, regional direc-
<br />,The Animas.River Ilows Into the San, tor for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
<br />'Juan River above squawfish habitat Service.
<br />areas. One government study'says the
<br />Animas-la Plata Project would divert Whatever the studies determine, the
<br />up to 18 percent of Animas River flow Bureau of Reclamation must abide by
<br />lnto the San Juan.., the conclusions because the bureau
<br />Now.. the U.S. Fish and Wildlife. must comply with the Endangered'
<br />',service Is nicommendlng that the. Bu~~; SIX;,Cies Act, Buterbaugh said.
<br />'reau of Reclamation divert 'no addl~' , If they Ignore our recommendation,
<br />tional water from Navajo Reservoir for'iI' It leaves th~m extremely vulnerable Ie;;
<br />Irrigation purposes, until further 'gaily. They would be sued In a minute,
<br />studies of squawfish water needs down, . he sald.
<br />stream are completed.' ,~' 'Mark Stephenson, a spokesman for
<br />Results of those studies could stop. the Department of the Interior, said the
<br />further development of NIlP. The IrrIga- squawfish study could be completed
<br />tlon project has crops growing on about' ':wtthln 45 days. Both the bureau and
<br />50,000 acres, using 117,000 acre-feet ,'the Fish and Wildlife SeIVice are part of
<br />of Navajo Reservoir water annually, ac- the Department of the Interior.
<br />
<br />'They're working together to ,try to
<br />find mitigation meaSUreS In hopes of
<br />not having to adversely affect any
<br />(water) deliveries," Stephenson srod.
<br />'The bureau Is going to have to look
<br />at alternates In terms of their commit-
<br />ment to water delivertes , . . be It those
<br />Indian agreements or other entities -
<br />municipal or irrigation dlstrtcts," he
<br />said.
<br />Buterbaugh stressed that water
<br />commitments from Navajo Reservo.
<br />NllP and other users will not
<br />changed, regardless of the squawfish
<br />study conclUSions.
<br />He emphasized the study Is to de-
<br />termine the "flexibility" of future water
<br />supply contracts with the bureau to
<br />provide water from the reservoir.
<br />'The key to everything In the San
<br />Juan Basin Is the studies we rec-
<br />ommended need to be completed to find
<br />out how much flexibility there Is In the
<br />system for both the water development
<br />and to protect the fish," Buterbaugh
<br />said.
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