EA No. EC-1300-13-003 Ruedi Reservoir Round II Water Marketing Program – Repayment Contracts for 19,585.5 Acre-Feet, Ruedi Dam and Reservoir, Fryingpan-Arkansas Project, Colorado Final Environmental Assessment U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation Great Plains Region Eastern Colorado Area Office July 25, 2013 ACRONYMS AND DEFINITIONS 15-Mile Reach The portion of the Colorado River that extends from the confluence of the Gunnison River upstream 15 miles to the Grand Valley Irrigation Company diversion dam near Palisade, Colorado ac-ft acre-feet anchor ice results when a river is allowed to freeze over entirely or in large part APE Area of potential effect augmentation plan A court-approved plan that allows a junior water user to divert water out of priority so long as adequate replacement is made to affected stream system preventing injury to the water rights of senior users. call The request by an appropriator for water which the person is entitled to under his decree; such a call will force those users with junior decrees to cease or diminish their diversions and pass the requested amount of water to the downstream senior making the call. cfs cubic feet per second contract Ruedi Reservoir Round II Water Marketing Program Repayment Contract CROS Coordinated Reservoir Operations CRWCD Colorado River Water Conservation District CWCB Colorado Water Conservation Board exchange A process by which water, under certain conditions, may be diverted out of priority at one point by replacing it with a like amount of water at another point. EA Environmental Assessment Fry-Ark Project Fryingpan-Arkansas Project mi2 square miles NEPA National Environmental Policy Act Operating Principles Operating Principles for the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project as described in House Document Number 130 PBO Programmatic Biological Opinion regarding endangered fish species in the Upper Colorado River Basin issued by the Denver Office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1999 Reclamation Bureau of Reclamation Recovery Program Recovery Implementation Program for Endangered Fishes in the Upper Colorado River RICD Recreational In-channel Diversion Right: a water right held by a local governmental entity for structures that control the flow of water for boating and kayaking Ruedi Ruedi Reservoir third party entity who subcontracts Ruedi Reservoir Round II Water Marketing Program Repayment Contract water from a water conservation district USFS United States Forest Service USFWS United States Fish and Wildlife Service Repayment Contract A contract between a water user's organization and Reclamation by which the organization obligates itself to repay a share of the reimbursable construction and other costs (not all construction costs are reimbursed by water users) of a Reclamation project in installments determined in accordance with Reclamation law in exchange for delivery of water. RRII FSES Ruedi Reservoir Round II Water Marketing Program Final Supplement to the Environmental Statement Wolford Mountain Wolford Mountain Reservoir i TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 – PURPOSE OF AND NEED FOR PROPOSED ACTION ............................................................................................. 1 1.1 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 PROPOSED ACTION.................................................................................................................................................................................................... 1 1.3 PURPOSE AND NEED .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 1 1.3.1 Contractor Purpose and Need ................................................................................................................................................................ 1 1.3.2 Reclamation Repayment Purpose and Need ..................................................................................................................................... 7 1.4 BACKGROUND ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 7 1.5 ISSUES ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 8 1.5.1 Issues and Impact Topics Included for Further Evaluation ........................................................................................................ 8 Ruedi Operations .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 8 Threatened and Endangered Species .................................................................................................................................................................................. 8 Other Aquatic Resources ........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 8 Recreation ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 8 Socioeconomics.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 8 Environmental Justice ................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 8 Hydroelectric Production ......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 8 Climate Change .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 8 1.5.2 Issues and Impact Topics Considered but Excluded from Further Evaluation .................................................................... 8 Air Quality, Noise, and Transportation .............................................................................................................................................................................. 8 Floodplains, Wetlands, Water Quality and River Physical Properties ................................................................................................................ 9 Cultural Resources ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 9 Indian Trust Assets .................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 10 Visual Resources ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 10 Farmland ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 10 1.6 AREA OF POTENTIAL EFFECT ..................................................................................................................................................................... 10 CHAPTER TWO – ALTERNATIVES ..................................................................................................................................................... 11 2.1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 11 2.2 NO ACTION ALTERNATIVE ........................................................................................................................................................................... 11 2.3 PROPOSED ACTION ALTERNATIVE .......................................................................................................................................................... 11 ii CHAPTER THREE – AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES ........................................... 14 3.1 INTRODUCTION AND METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................................................................... 14 3.2 REASONABLY FORESEEABLE ACTIONS 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