2011-05-12_PERMIT FILE - M2011028 (2)

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CHAPTER 5 PURPOSE AND NEED, RECOMMENDATIONS AND COMMITMENTS The potential impact to native fishes in the Animas River, especially the effects of chronic habitat reduction, may not be directly mitigatable on the Animas River. Investigations should be initiated to determine whether or not fish barriers exist, whether small fish/young-of-the-year fish are significantly lost through entrainment in canals, and whether any significant loss to the trout fishery occurs. The monitoring program will be initiated in 2000 that will incorporate these additional elements into a monitoring study currently being conducted on the Animas River. A firm recommendation for mitigation due to the effects on native fishes will be made by no later than 2005, at least two years prior to project pumping from the Animas River. Once this mitigation recommendation is approved and agreed to by the Service, CDOW, New Mexico Department of Game and Fish (NMDGF), and perhaps the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, its implementation will immediately begin. This commitment is also described under mitigation for Refined Alternative 4 Aquatic Resources Impact 4 in Section 4.6. Reclamation will review and adopt established guidelines for screening facilities to minimize fish entrainment and impingement at the Ridges Basin Pumping Plant. Reclamation will also ensure that design specifications include Best Available Technologies as described under Mitigation for Refined Alternative 4 Aquatic Resources Impact 5 in Section 3.6. . Reclamation will either screen or implement other physical structures to prevent live fish from being released from Ridges Basin Reservoir. The reservoir outlet system will be designed and fitted with devices to eliminate survival of fish escaping the reservoir. Reclamation will monitor escapement from the reservoir and Basin Creek as described under mitigation for Refined Alternative 4 Aquatic Resources Impact 7 in Section 3.6. Reclamation will fund the acquisition and stocking of wild strains of trout annually in the Animas River within the boundaries of the Southern Ute Indian Reservation to compensate for fish loss due to the reduction in usable trout habitat. Individual stocks of trout will be marked in such a manner that age groups could be monitored over time. This monitoring plan will be developed in consultation with the Service, CDOW, NMDGF, and the Tribe. The relative success of this effort will be assessed after four years. If it is deemed a success-that is, if the trout biomass within the stocked reaches of the river is elevated to a point of supporting a recreational fishery-the stocking program will continue. For the acquisition of trout stock, Reclamation will consider the development of a new hatchery in cooperation with the Southern Ute Indian Tribe and others. This same hatchery could very well be utilized for providing for fish stocking for Ridges Basin Reservoir. Reclamation will commit to providing trout to be stocked at Ridges Basin Reservoir to provide a recreational fishery. The source of fish could be from an existing Colorado River Storage Project (CRSP) hatchery facility or from the acquisition and/or construction of a new hatchery facility. This commitment is for the purposes of enhancing the fishery at Ridges Basin Reservoir. As described in Section 5.4.11, Reclamation will acquire at least two new public access points on the Animas River for fishing and other recreational use. 5.4.7 Special Status Species Commitments Reclamation will implement conservation measures found in the latest Biological Opinion on the project (see Attachment G for complete list). These measures address the Colorado pikeminnow and razorback sucker that are found in the San Juan River and the bald eagle that is found throughout the project area. g u,A, nT tk- pAAGtr N -78 >r O. Boy, AA, - o-waCC, CO 813''' 5-15 5.4 ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITMENTS