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<br />the Clean Water Act has been obtained. If dewatering results in a discharge-into the Gunnison <br />River, a Section 402 permit will also be needed. Commercial concrete and sand and gravel fill <br />will be used. Construction activities will require 10 to 25 workers. Construction is scheduled <br />to begin in the summer of 1995 and be completed by April 1996. <br /> <br />Fish Passageway Qperation <br /> <br />The passageway will be operated by the Service on a daily basis, and Reclamation will be <br />responsible for maintenance. Red1ands Water and Power will continue to operate the Redlands <br />Diversion Dam in accordance with Colorado water Jaw and their FERC order granting <br />exemption from licensing of a small hydroelectric project (Project No. 6964). Red.lands Water <br />and Power will not be responsible for any costs associated with the passageway. Normal <br />operation and maintenance of the Red1ands Diversion Dam will not be affected by the fish <br />passageway facilities. The city of Grand Junction will continue to operate its water intake which <br />will be incorporated into the fish passageway forebay. The design and operation of the modified <br />intake will be such that harm to endangered fish is not anticipated. A construction, operation, <br />and maintenance agreement is being negotiated between RWPC, Reclamation, the Service, and <br />the city of Grand Junction. This agreement will spell out specific responsibilities of the parties. <br />A summary of this agreement is found in Appendix C. <br /> <br />The Service will monitor fish use of the passageway and of the Gunnison River. This <br />monitoring, to begin in 1996, will include radio tracking the fish to determine their movements <br />in relation to the passageway and netting of larval (recently hatched) fish. The Red1ands Water <br />and Power Company will also be protected from hydropower losses, if such were to occur <br />because of operation of the fish passageway itself. At the present time, there is no <br />predetermined schedule for removing fish from the trap area described previously. The trap will <br />be monitored frequently enough to lessen any impacts, such as predation or injury, to the native <br />fish. <br /> <br />Interim Water A~ment <br /> <br />To ensure adequate flows to operate the fish passageway and to maintain and study habitat in <br />the Gunnison River downstream from the Red1ands Diversion Dam, an interim (temporary, 5 <br />year) water agreement will be executed among Reclamation, the State of Colorado represented <br />by the Colorado Water Conservation Board, and the Service. Under the agreement, Reclamation <br />will deliver sufficient water from the Aspinall Unit to maintain a minimum flow of 300 cfs in <br />the Gunnison River below the Red1ands Diversion Dam during the months of July through <br />October. Based on records from 1973 through 1994, the 300 cfs flow is already met or <br />exceeded 81 percent of the time in July through October and 86 percent of the time in November <br />through June, based on monthly averages. Thus releases under the water agreement would only <br />be necessary a limited time to meet the 300 cfs. <br /> <br />The 300 cfs represents the interim recommendation of the Service and may be modified as <br />additional data is collected. The 300 cfs was determined by measuring the depth of the river <br /> <br />8 <br />