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27 JN-3 2,914 2,643 1,818 893 JL-1 2,060 1,617 990 470 JL-2 1,328 977 578 246 JL-3 955 707 372 194 ENVIRONMENTAL BASELINE The environmental baseline includes the past and present impacts of all Federal, State, and private actions and other human activities in the action area; the anticipated impacts of all proposed Federal projects in the action area that have already undergone formal section 7 consultation; and the impact of State or private actions contemporaneous with the consultation process. In formulating this opinion, the Service considered adverse and beneficial effects likely to result from cumulative effects of future State and private activities that are reasonably certain to occur within the Project area, along with the direct and indirect effects of the Project and impacts from actions that are part of the environmental baseline (50 CFR 402.02 and 402.14 (g)(3)). • The physical and biological features that were the basis for designating the critical habitat for the endangered fishes are water, physical habitat, and biological environment. These primary constituent elements were determined necessary for survival and recovery of the endangered fishes in the Colorado River. The primary constituent element water is described as a quantity of sufficient quality and with a hydrologic regime that is required for each life stage. Physical habitat includes areas of the river that are inhabited or potentially habitable by endangered fishes for use in spawning, nursery, feeding, and rearing or corridors between these areas. Biological environment includes food supply, predation, and competition. The environmental baseline for water quantity includes all historical depletions in the Upper Basin, depletions resulting from projects which have previously undergone section 7 consultation, and depletions resulting from projects contemporaneous with this consultation. Some of the contaminants of concern within waters of the Upper Basin include heavy metals, selenium, salts, PAHs, and pesticides. Selenium is of particular concern because of its documented effects on fish . (and wildlife) reproduction. Many chemical, physical, and biological