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<br />, <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. A. INTRODUCTION <br /> <br />The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) is proposing to modify the <br />operation of McPhee Reservoir. McPhee Dam and Reservoir are the major <br />features of the Dolores Project (Project) and are located on the Dolores <br />River approximately 15 miles north of Cortez, Colorado (See Figure 1). <br />The proposed reservoir operation modification applies only to water <br />releases for fish and wildlife purposes from 'the reservoir to the <br />Dolores River. Reclamation also proposes to acquire additional water to <br />increase the total volume of the project water reserved by the United <br />States' for fish and wildlife purposes_ The additional water acquired <br />would reduce the overall volume of water entering the San Juan River. <br /> <br />B. PURPOSE AND NEED <br /> <br />There are two purposes for this proposal. The first is to establish a <br />pool of water be released annually from McPhee Reservoir to the Dolores <br />River in a manner to conserve habitat for fish and wildlife. The second <br />is to acquire an adequate amount of water for this pool to maintain the <br />downstream resources, primarily the cold-water trout fishery, along a <br />stretch of the Dolores River from McPhee Dam to a point some twelve <br />miles downstream at the Bradfield Bridge river crossing. <br /> <br />These actions are needed because the water release criteria for fish and <br />wildlife described in the Dolores Project's 1977 Definite Plan Report <br />(DPR) and Final Environmental Statement (FES) do not provide adequate <br />flow in the Dolores River during dry and normal years to maintain the <br />cold-water sport fishery to which Reclamation previously committed to <br />maintain in the 1977 DPR/FES. In addition, there is a discrepancy in <br />the original Project operation study regarding the average annual volume <br />of water required for storage to fulfill the 1977 DPR/FES downstream <br />water release criteria. These proposed actions are being considered at <br />this time because Reclamation is currently negotiating the terms of an <br />Ooerations Aareement for McPhee Reservoir with the Dolores Water <br />Conservancy District (DWCD). <br /> <br />C. BACKGROUND <br /> <br />Reclamation operated the reservoir from its completion in 1984 to June <br />1990 according to the release criteria established in the DPR/FES. That <br />criteria specifies year-round releases of 20, SO, or 78 cubic feet per <br />second (cfs) to the Dolores River downstream from McPhee Dam. The <br />primary purpose of the releases was to allow the establishment of a <br />trout fishery from the dam downstream to Bradfield Bridge (about 12 <br />miles downstream). Reclamation's only environmental commitment <br />downstream of the dam was to provide water to the Dolores River to <br />maintain suitable habitat for the establishment of a cold-water fishery. <br /> <br />From 1984 until March 1990, precipitation was plentiful and as the water <br />delivery features were being constructed, much of the water in McPhee <br />Reservoir could not be supplied to Project users. During this time <br />frame, minimum releases from the dam never went below 78 cfs. A trout <br />fishery, established and managed by the Colorado Division of Wildlife <br />(COOW) , was developed during that time in the Dolores River downstream <br />of the dam. <br /> <br />However, precipitation during the winter of 1989-g0 was the lowest in <br />recorded history in the Dolores River drainage. A "dry" year <br />determination was made by Reclamation on March 1, 1990 in accordance <br />with the CPR/FES operating criteria. Downstream releases from McPhee <br /> <br />2 <br />