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<br />Common questions about endangered Golorado River fish <br /> <br />(Editor's noie: Below are answeri to <br />questions often asked' about the <br />Recovery Program for Endangered Fish <br />of the Upper Colorado River Basin) <br /> <br />How will water development projects <br />be affected by this program? <br />The purpose of the Recovery <br />. Program for Endangered Fish' of the <br />Upper Colorado' River Basin i$to recov- <br />er rare Colorado River fish while allow-' <br />ing water development to proceed. <br />To help accomplish this, last year <br />Recovery Program managers completed <br />an agreement clarifying how the' Fish <br />and Wilqlife Service will'apply section 7 . <br />of the Endangered Species Act to water <br />d.evelopment projects in the upper <br />Colorado River Basin. (This section of <br />the act requITes federal agencies to con- . <br />suit with .the Service on actions that are. <br />likely to jeopardiiethe continued exis- <br />tence of' endangered'or threatened <br />'sPecies or result in destruction or adverse <br />modification of their critical habitat.) <br />Under the Recovery Program's sec; <br />tion' 7 agreement, as long as the pro- <br />gram is making sujJjcient progress, the <br />Service will issue favorable biological <br />opinions on water depletion projects. <br />To .date, the Service hasdetennined <br />thai the program" has made sufficient. <br />progres's to offselimpacts of relatively <br />small water depletion .projects. Based <br />on . that. conclusion, the' agency has <br />decided to give favorable biological <br />opinions to water projects 'that deplete <br />. an average ofless than 3,000 acre-feet <br />. of water per year. . . <br />Impacts associated with new water <br />depletion projects. are offset by <br />Recovery' Program accomplishments <br />and by a one-time contribution of about <br />. $13 per acre-foot ofa project's average. <br />annual net depletion. This money is <br />used primarily to acquire water and <br />water rights for endangered fish. (The <br />per-acn:-foot figure is adjusted annually <br />for mflation.) There is no charge for. <br />. e~isting' depletions or for new deple- <br />tions ofless than 100 acre-feet of water. <br />Since 1988, this .approach has <br />allowed the Fish and Wildlife Service <br />to issue favorable biological opinions <br />on more than 150 water projects in <br />. Colorado, Utah and Wyoming with a <br />potential to deplete nearly 185,000 <br />acre-feet of water. As a result, more <br /> <br /> <br />'. .' . . Photo courtesy of North Oakl,Jla Oepartmenl of Game and FISh <br />Wetlands are one type of habnat considered c;ritical to recovery.of endangered <br />fish. These marshy areas also are used by ducks, geese, frogs, toads and other <br />riparian wildlife. . . <br /> <br />than $230,000. has been generated' for <br />recovery activities. <br />The Recovery Program has no spe- <br />. cific provisions for offsetting. direct <br />(non-depletion) impacts of new water <br />projects' constructed in habitat occu- <br />pied by endangered fish. This includes <br />impacts caused by habitat alteration, <br />construction, migration route block- <br />:age, coilVersion of occupied river habi- <br />tat into a res.ervoir and temperature <br />modifications caused by dam releases. <br />Whenever possible,. the Fish and <br />Wildlife Service will suggest "reason-. <br />able and prudent" alternatives to' offset <br />these types of direct project impacts. . <br /> <br />'Critical habitat' was designated for <br />endangered Colorado River. fish in <br />March 1994. How will this affect water <br />developmenf and water use projects in <br />the upper .Colorado River Basin? <br />The Fish and Wildlife Service does <br />not intend to'use the crit'ical habitat des- . <br />ignation to stop all new water develop- <br />ment in the upper Colorado RiverSasin <br />or to condemn water in ex'isting pro- <br />. jects. The Recovery Program, whose' <br />purpose is to recover endangered fish <br />while also providing for water develop- <br />ment, will continue. <br />Water projects that involve federal <br />actions and that may result in destruc- <br /> <br />5 <br /> <br />tion or adverse modification of the <br />fishes' critical habitat also require sec- <br />: tion 7 consultation' with the Service. To <br />comply with' these requirements, the <br />. Service closery scrutinizes flood plain <br />developm'ents such as gravel mining, <br />river' bank stabilization and dike and <br />levee construction projects that involve <br />the federal government through federal <br />operation, permits or funding. . <br />Recovery Program managers are <br />modifying the recovery action plan to <br />. address critical habitat and to allow the <br />program to continue serving as the <br />"reasonable and prudent" alternative to <br />adveise modification of critical habitat <br />caused by new and existing water <br />development projects. In addition, <br />'Recovery Program participants are <br />working with existing project owners <br />and operators on a voluntary .basis to . <br />provide flows needed to. recover <br />endangered fish.. . . <br />Discharge ofpollUlants such as trace <br />. elementS, heavy metals and pesticides <br />are not offset by the Recovery Program, <br />nor are direct impacts of new oevelop- <br />ments in critical habitat such as from <br />dams, . 'diversions, riprap, jetties and <br />. gravel mines that directly impact critical <br />. habitat Such actions will be addressed <br />through section 7 consultation. <br />(Related stories on Pages 1,4 and 8.) <br />