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1-22 I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I The lower portions of the basin are limited with respect to fisheries. Upstream of Wilson Reservoir the Saline is con- s i de red to be of hi ghest pri ority for fi sheri es or Cl ass A. Further upstream, the river degrades to low potential due to intermittent flows. The only major body of water is Wilson Reservoir, a Class A fishery. A small reservoir, Saline State Fishing Lake, is the only other Class A lake. o Smoky Hill River Basin - The Smoky Hill River originates in eastern Colorado as the North and South Fork. It flows east- ward across central Kansas to Juncti on City where it joi ns the Republ ican River to form the Kansas River. The largest tribu- taries to the Smoky Hill are the Sal ine and Solomon Rivers. Waters in the lower portion of the basin are Class B because of suspended sediment and moderate water qual ity. Upstream in Ell sworth County, the Ri ver has hi ghest pri ority fi sheri es, degrading to low qual ity further upstream where the River be- comes intermittent. There are two major reservoirs in the basin, Cedar Bluff and Kanapolis. Both are Class B due to low water levels and tur- bidity. A smaller lake, Geary County State Fishing Lake, is one of the few very high qual ity lakes in Kansas that does not have significant problems. The threatened Topeka Shiner has been reported, spec ifi ca 11 y in Willow Creek in Wa 11 ace County, (Kansas Fi sh and Game). Two threatened riffl e beetl es are found in Scott County. One is known from a spri ng in Lake Scott State Park and the other is from Ladder Creek, which obtains its base flow from the Ogallala. o Upper Arkansas River Basin - This basin lies in southwestern Kansas. The Arkansas originates in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, flows through central Kansas to Oklahoma and Arkansas and into the Mississippi. Flow of the Arkansas into Kansas is regulated by John Martin Reservoir in Colorado. The greatest problem found in the basin is lack of water, principally due to irrigation diversions. Organic pollution is a secondary problem. Almost all of the Arkansas in this basin is Class C or D as to fisheries due to seasonality of flow and limited riparian habitat. According to the 1978 Kansas Water Quality Management Plan, the Arkansas River associated riparian habitat of old mature cot- tonwoods, a uni que ecosystem to southwest Kansas, is graduall y dyi ng. It is suspected that due to ground water drawdown, the trees can no longer obta inadequate water to sustai n them- selves. A diversion dam and ditch in Barton County diverts water to dry Walnut Creek where it ultimately reaches Cheyenne Bottoms Waterfowl Management Area in the Lower Arkansas River Basin. This area is a shallow basin managed principally for waterfowl and has little if any fishery value. There are no large reservoirs or lakes in the Upper Arkansas River Basin. The Arkansas darter, a threatened species in Kansas, inhabits the Lower Arkansas Basin.