Final Programmatic Biological Opinion for Bureau of Reclamation's

13site drains, so it is not a year round pond that supports nonnative fishes. This site will provideshallow warm water habitat for prespawning conditioning for Colorado pikeminnow andrazorback sucker. It provides a quiet water refuge and an abundant food supply during springrunoff.Adobe Creek and Walter Walker State Wildlife Area are two floodplain sites used in an evaluationof contaminant impacts on razorback sucker reproduction. Water control structures wereconstructed in a tertiary channel at Adobe Creek, enabling a section of this channel to be isolatedand controlled for this evaluation and for possible use as a grow-out area for larval razorbacksuckers in the future. A water control structure also was constructed at Walter Walker allowing100 cfs of fresh water from the river to enter in an attempt to help lower selenium levels at thissite. This appears to have been successful.Two properties (181 acres) have been acquired along the Colorado River for restoringendangered fish habitat in the floodplain. Approximately 13 properties are currently in variousstages of the pre-acquisition process. The priorities along the Colorado River include severalgravel pit ponds and partnerships with local private, county, State, and Federal entities. TheRecovery Program will continue to support funding and acquisition of interest in bottomlandsidentified by the Service as needed for recovery of the endangered fish along the Colorado River.Current plans are to acquire interest in up to 3,500 acres of bottomland habitat along the UpperColorado River in the Grand Valley and along the Gunnison River. Properties will be purchasedon a willing seller basis.A second component of habitat restoration is construction of fish passageways on dams anddiversions that have blocked endangered fish access to important historical habitat. These barriershave fragmented habitat and prevented access to spawning, feeding , and winter habitats.Construction of a passageway was completed in January 1998 at the Grand Valley IrrigationCompany Diversion Dam. It consists of a notch in the dam and a series of pools and rifflesimmediately below. This configuration of rocks creates pools and riffles in ascending increments,and allows fish to swim upstream and over the dam during periods of low flow. Two additionalfish passages at Price-Stubb and Grand Valley Project Diversion Dams are currently in theplanning and evaluation stage. Colorado pikeminnow no longer occur above the Price-StubbDam. Passage at the Price-Stubb Diversion Dam is currently scheduled to be completed inSeptember 2000. If the dam removal option is chosen, the schedule could be delayed until April2002 to accommodate completion of the Plateau Creek Pipeline Project by Ute WaterConservancy District. Restoration of passage at the Government Highline Diversion Dam istentatively scheduled for completion during 2001.3. Native Fish Stocking ElementTo achieve recovery it is important to maintain the genetic integrity of wild and captive-rearedendangered fishes and to prevent irreversible losses of genetic diversity. The genetic managementgoals of the Recovery Program are to prevent immediate extinction; to conserve genetic diversity