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<br />19 <br /> <br />January mid-winter counts. Numbers of wintering eagles fluctuate from year to <br />year depending on weather patterns. <br /> <br />AREA OF IMPACT AND CONCERN FOR ENDANGERED FISHES <br /> <br />The San Juan River originates in the mountains of southwestern Colorado and <br />flows southwesterly into the Navajo Reservoir situated on the Colorado/New <br />Mexico border (Figure 2). Downstream of the Navajo Dam, the San Juan River <br />continues westerly, flowing through the towns of Archuleta, Blanco, <br />Bloomfield, Farmington, Fruitland, and Shiprock, New Mexico. It then turns <br />north and eventually reenters the extreme southwest corner of Colorado near <br />Four Corners. Downstream of Four Corners, the San Juan River enters Utah and <br />continues northwesterly through the towns of Aneth, Montezuma Creek, Bluff, <br />and Mexican Hat, Utah, and empties into Lake Powell near Piute Farms Wash. <br /> <br />The reach of currently known occupied habitat extends from lake Powell <br />upstream to-approximately river mile 158.6. A diversion structure near <br />Fruitland, New Mexico (the Hogback at river mile 158.6), and a weir at river <br />mile 166.1 span the entire river channel and are believed to be effective <br />blocks to upstream fish migrations (Platania 1990). Ryden and Pfeifer (1995a) <br />reported an observation of a Colorado squawfish 0.2 river miles below the <br />Hogback diversion in 1994, this is the farthest upstream report of a Colorado <br />squawfish during recent studies. <br /> <br />A new waterfall (25-30 feet high) developed in 1989 at the lake Powell inflow <br />area during declining reservoir levels and changing river channel alignment <br />between Clay Hills and Piute Farms. This is considered a complete barrier to <br />upstream fish passage when Lake Powell reservoir levels are low, however, in <br />1995 reservoir levels increased significantly and inundated the waterfall. <br />The status of the waterfall will not be known until reservoir levels recede. <br /> <br />The Animas River, from which a majority of Project water will be diverted, is <br />the largest perennial tributary to the San Juan River and affects the entire <br />length of Colorado squawfish and razorback sucker critical habitat. <br />Historically, flows in the San Juan River prior to the Navajo Dam were highly <br />variable. The change in flows at three locations in the San Juan River are <br />listed in Table 1. <br /> <br />Table 1 <br />Change in Mean Monthly Flow After the Navajo Dam <br /> <br />Units = cfs Pre-Navajo Post-Navajo Percent Change <br /> Low Hiah low Hiah low Hiah <br />Farmington 170 13,471 418 9,803 +145% -27% <br />Shiprock 44 19,790 213 9,045 +384% -54% <br />Bluff 65 15,380 250 10,334 +284% -48% <br />