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<br />wetland impacts projected. One or two private land parcels would be involved in the <br />construction; special stipulations are being mutually negotiated to protect this land and its uses <br />during construction and to restore any damages following construction. <br /> <br />There would be no change in land use or ownership, The primary uses of irrigation water <br />diversion and residential use would continue, <br /> <br />River Flows. Water Rights. and Water Uses <br /> <br />The Colorado River in the general area is the key source for irrigation water in the Grand Valley. <br />Mean monthly streamflows upstream of the GVIC Canal are summarized in Table B-1 in . <br />Appendix B. The peak runoff occurs in May and June with mean monthly streamflows of7,118 <br />cfs and 10,564 cfs, respectively. The flows subside in July with a mean monthly streamflow of <br />4,693 cfs. Mean monthly streamflows are lower in the fall, around 1,000 cfs, GVIC owns 640 <br />cfs in water rights that are senior to most users on the river, This water continues to be used for <br />agricultural purposes although, increasingly, it is used for residential irrigation. <br /> <br />Water from another irrigation system, the Orchard Mesa system, is diverted further upstream. <br />Some of this water is dropped through a hydropower system that then enters the. river a short <br />distance downstream from the GVIC Diversion. A system has been developed where some of <br />the Orchard Mesa water discharge can be "checked" back upstream to a point above the GVIC <br />Diversion,and thus be used for GVIC purposes. Recent agreements have been reached on how <br />this "check" can be operated to both protect water users and enhance the river habitat for <br />endangered fishes. <br /> <br />Under the No Action alternative, significant changes are not anticipated on the water systems or <br />operations under the "check" agreements. <br /> <br />The addition of the passage would enhance the ability of the Recovery Program to recover the <br />fish and thus, offset impact of water development and use on endangered species, This will have <br />a positive influence on permitting of future water activities, <br /> <br />Providing passage at the GVIC Diversion Dam would have no effect on GVIC's ability to fully <br />use their water rights, Additional operation and maintenance work would be required, <br />particularly if screening of the canal inlet is included in the future; however, the costs and <br />responsibility for these activities would lie with the Recovery Program and/or the Service. <br /> <br />In certain low flow conditions, streamflows could be augmented to allow upstream passage of the <br />endangered fish during the July to October period. Reclamation has storage water in Ruedi <br />Reservoir that is committed to the Recovery Program which can be used to augment the <br />streamflows. This augmentation would provide some enhancement of river habitat conditions as <br />well as assisting in fish passage. Agreements on operation of the Orchard Mesa check would not <br /> <br />16 <br />