The bill to reauthorize the Upper Colorado and San Juan River Basins’ Endangered Fish Recovery Programs is one step closer to further protect four endangered fish species and providing long-term security for 1,200 Colorado water and power projects.
The bill, HR 4595, received a hearing Thursday in the House Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries. It is sponsored by U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, a Republican representing Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District.
Sen. John Hickenlooper, a Democrat from Colorado, sponsored the Senate bill, SB2247.
When the recovery programs were introduced in 1988 and 1992, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said the fish were heading toward extinction. Since the programs were placed in effect, they have protected four endangered fish – humpback chub, bonytail, Colorado pikeminnow, and razorback sucker – found only in the Colorado River basin.
With the help of states, tribes, environmental groups and local communities, the humpback chub and razorback sucker revived their populations, where the chub was downlisted from endangered to threatened and the razorback is recommended to be downlisted.
Extending the recovery program another seven years would further protect the fish.
“We have adapted our current practices and modified our historic water projects to mitigate impacts on these native fish and made new investments to aid in their recovery to self-sustaining populations,” said Ken Curtis, general manager of the Dolores Water Conservancy District. “Measurable progress has been made toward recovery. Now, we can’t afford to leave this work unfinished and risk losing control of our water that underpins and grows our local economies.”
The bill simultaneously provides appropriate administration for water delivery and hydropower projects. Expanding the bill for seven years would help assist 1,200 water projects that support Colorado cities, tribes and farmers.
The program supports water delivery from the Navajo, Flaming Gorge and Aspinall Unite reservoirs. Together they store more than 6.5 million acre-feet of water as part of the Colorado River Storage Project, according to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s Statement for the Record issued July 27.
“These projects, including 1,200 in Colorado alone, provide water for local municipalities, tribes, major reservoirs, agricultural, ski areas, power generation facilities, and others that use more than 3.69 million acre-feet of water per year,” Boebert said in a news release. “I look forward to my bipartisan bill that has support in the Senate and from the administration being signed into law.”
