Water development and fish recovery

The purpose of this Recovery Program is to recover endangered fish while also providing for future water development for human use.

To help accomplish this, Recovery Program managers have developed an agreement clarifying how the Fish and Wildlife Service will apply section 7 of the Endangered Species Act to water development projects in the upper Colorado River Basin. (Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act requires federal agencies to consult with the Service on actions that are likely to jeopardize the continued existence of endangered or threatened species or result in destruction or adverse modification of their critical habitat.)

Since 1988, this approach has allowed the Fish and Wildlife Service to issue favorable biological opinions on some 600 water projects in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming with a potential to use more than 618,000 acre-feet of water.

Under this agreement, as long as sufficient progress is being made toward endangered fish recovery, the Service will issue favorable biological opinions on water depletions of fewer than 3,000 acre-feet of water. When reviewing projects that deplete more than 3,000 acre-feet of water per year, the Service determines on a case-by-case basis the recovery actions that are needed to warrant a favorable biological opinion.