WSP05278 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

I I 11 , I, I I I , I I , I I 'I I I I I 00257G I. INTRODUCTION OVERVIHW This Plan of Study (POS) defines the services which Hydrosphere Resource Consultants, Inc. (Hydrosphere) will provide to the Colorado River Water Conservation District (District) for the Yampa RIver Basin Alternatives Feasibility Study. To assist in providing the services defined in the POS, Hydrosphere has assembled a team which consists of the following subcontractors: Subcontractor Services Provided Delta Environmental Consultants, Inc. Stoecker/Keammerer Associates Biowest Site and geotechnical engineering Terrestrial biology and ecology Aquatic biology and ecology The study area for this investigation will be the Yampa River basin within Colorado, excluding the Little Snake river basin. S1lIDY OBJECTIVES The Recovery Implementation Program for Endangered Fish Species in the Upper Colorado River Basin (Recovery Program) has identified the Yampa River as the number one priority for water rights acquisition investigation. The Juniper-Cross Mountain water rights have been identified as the controlling rights on the mainstem of the Yampa River. Acquisition of a portion of these rights for instream flows could greatly benefit endangered fish species utilizing habitat in the Lower Yampa River. The general extent of occupied habitat of endangered fishes in the Yampa River basin is shown in Figure 1. Preliminary discussions between the Colorado River Water Conservation District (River District), owner of the rights, and the State of Colorado indicate that for these water rights to be made available to the Recovery Program, both the River District and the local interests in the Yampa Basin must know if there is a feasible alternative project or group of projects that can be constructed and operated in accordance with long standing water development and economic goals in the area. A number of previous studies in the basin have identified alternative projects in several locations. These are shown in Figure 2 and are listed in the accompanying Table 1. Additional project sites will be identified and evaluated as part of this study. The objectives of this study are to: 1) formulate and evaluate a number of alternative projects for development of a portion of the Juniper Cross Mountain water rights, 2) determine if one or more of these projects can be constructed and operated in accordance with the long- standing water development and economic goals in the study area, 3) evaluate the impact of these projects on the recommended flows of the Recovery Program, and 4) recommend a project and evaluate the transfer of a portion of the Juniper Cross Mountain water rights to instream flow purposes. &~.. .