Planning for Water Development and Endangered Species Recovery in the Yampa River Basin

Developmentof water resources in the Colorado River Basin is complicatedby, among other things, the fact that the river containsfour native fish species listed as endangered under the EndangeredSpecies Act (ESA). To address the issues related to resourcedevelopment and compliance with the ESA, the states of Colorado,Utah and Wyoming have joined with the U.S. Department ofInterior, Western Area Power Administration, and representatives of the environmentaland water development communities, to form the Recovery Implementation Programfor Endangered Fishes of the Upper Colorado River Basin (RecoveryProgram). The purpose of the Recovery Program is to facilitaterecovery of the listed fishes, a goal greater than theavoidance of jeopardy required [...]