Title
Workshop on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Re-Initiated Consultation with the National Marine Fisheries Service on the "Biological Opinion for the Salinas Valley Water Project".
Report
BACKGROUND:
In June 2002, the Monterey County Water Resources Agency (MCWRA) applied to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) for a permit to construct the Salinas River Diversion Facility (SRDF) in the Salinas River near Marina, California. The SRDF is a component of the Salinas Valley Water Project (SVWP). The primary goals of the SVWP are:
* Stop seawater intrusion;
* Improve the long-term hydrologic balance between recharge and withdrawal; and
* Provide a sufficient water supply to meet existing needs and to serve as a foundation to meet future water needs.
Because steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) are present in the Salinas River and listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, the Corps requested consultation with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) on the permit application. NMFS's role is to ensure that the project will not jeopardize the continued existence of the species nor result in the adverse modification of designated critical habitat. The following timeline is adapted from National Marine Fisheries Service Biological Opinion Admin No. 151422SWR2003SR8711 which can be found on MCWRA's website at: http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/home/showdocument?id=24204
TIMELINE:
* June 2002: Corps requested consultation with the NMFS on the permit application for the Salinas Valley Water Project.
* January 2003: NMFS determined the Biological Assessment (BA) was incomplete and requested additional information and defined the scope of the consultation to include all Nacimiento and San Antonio dam operations.
* June 2003: NMFS notified MCWRA that the flow criteria identified in the BA were flawed.
* December 2003: WRIME (MCWRA consultant) submitted "Hydrologic Analysis of Salinas River Flows in Response to NOAA Fisheries Request for Fu...
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