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<br />OOD8Gr:l ,0- L <br /> <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />tfOU ~ be <br /> <br /> <br />~page(S)OfenClosure 5/ ~ ~~ <br />follow ~ <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />MILESTONE BIOLOGICAL <br />OPINION ISSUED ON <br />WATER USE AND <br />RECOVERY OF COLORADO <br />RIVER ENDANGERED FISH <br />On December 20, 1999, the U.S. Fish <br />and Wudlife Service and Upper Basin <br />vvata users achieved a milestone with the <br />signing of a final biological opinion on <br />water use on me:: Colorado River. The <br />opinion provides Endangered Species <br />Act (ESA) compliance for 1 million <br />acre-feet/year of exiscing depletions and <br />for 120,000 acre-feerlyear of new de- <br />pletions on the Colorado River up- <br />stream of the Gunnison, ESA compli- <br />ance is provided for five reclamation <br />projectS: Grand Valley, Silr, Collbran, <br />Colorado-Big Thompson, and Frying- <br />Pan Arkansas, as well as all other exist- <br />ing non-federal projectS upstream of the <br />Gunnison, The opinion is also expected <br />(Q screamlme future ESA consuhacions <br />for water users. The consultation ad- <br />dressed the impaas of existing and fUrure <br />water depletions, along with actions tak- <br />en by the Upper Colorado River En- <br />dangered Fishes Recovery Program co <br />benefit the endangered fishes, Recovery <br />actions include flow augmentacion in <br />accordance with State law, habitat en- <br />hancement, stocking of e~dangered <br />fishes, control of non-native fish spe- <br />cies, fish passages, monitoring, and fish <br />screens on three major diversions. The <br />actions are carried out by the Recovery <br />Program and financed largely with fed- <br />eral and state fUnds and with power <br />revenues from Colorado River Basin <br />hydroelectric projects, Water users <br />agreed to provide 10,825 acre-feerlyear <br />of water that was previously committed <br /> <br />February 2000 <br /> <br />from Ruedi Reservoir. a federal Recla- <br />mation project on the western slope. <br />This will free up the Ruedi water for <br />use in western Colorado. <br />Since 1988, the Upper Colorado <br />River Recovery Program has provided <br />ESA compliance for more than 500 <br />warer projects depleting L 7 million <br />acre-feerlyear in the Upper Colorado <br />River Basin. There have been no law- <br />suits on any of the opinions issued un- <br />der the Recovery Program, <br />The 67 page biological opinion and <br />its appendices ".1'e available at hrtp:// <br />~,r6,fws.gov/ crrip/biological,hrm <br />in Adobe Acrobar formar under" 15- <br />mile Reach Biological Opinion", A 12- <br />page summary of the opinion prepared <br />by Tom Pitts, Upper Basin Warer Us- <br />ers Representative, is available from <br />Water Consult at (970) 667-8690 <br />(E-mail: h2orus@Waterconsult.com). <br /> <br />R~C~IL'~': <br />APR 05 I <br />Cot. 20lJ <br />C:'ns Oriid() "'. <br />e%bo., -_ <br />6<'.,rC/ <br />