Rio Grande Silvery Minnow v. Bureau of Reclamation

Rio Grande Silvery Minnow v. Bureau of Reclamation, called Rio Grande Silvery Minnow v. Keys in its earlier phases, was a case launched in 1999 by a group of environmentalists against the United States Bureau of Reclamation and the United States Army Corps of Engineers alleging violations of the Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy Act. The case resulted in significant changes to water and river management in the Middle Rio Grande Basin of New Mexico in an effort to reverse the damage that had been done to the habitat of two endangered species.

The waters of the middle section of the Rio Grande in New Mexico, running from north to south past the city of Albuquerque, have been used for irrigation for at least 1,000 years. The Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District built new dams, canals and ditches in the 1930s. In the 1950s the Bureau of Reclamation and Corps of Engineers took over responsibility for rehabilitating, maintaining and operating the storage dams and the river channel. The changes drastically affected the habitat of native fish, including the once-common Rio Grande silvery minnow. The minnow was declared endangered in 1994.

In 1999 a group of conservationists filed suit against the Bureau of Reclamation and the Corps of Engineers on the grounds that they had failed to adequately consult with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, as required under the Endangered Species Act, to determine if action should be taken to avoid jeopardizing the minnow.