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<br />Gunnison River fish ladder nearly complete
<br />
<br />Construction is. to be co;';plete in,
<br />. April 1996 on a fish ladder around the'
<br />Redlands Diversion Dam in southwest
<br />Colorado.
<br />The ladder is being built as part of
<br />the multi-agency 'Recovery Program
<br />for Endangered Fish' of the Upper
<br />Colorado River" Basin to help rebuild
<br />populations of, imdangered ' Colorado
<br />squawfish and ~azorback' suckers.
<br />Oncecoinmon in the, Gimnison River
<br />between Delta and Grand Junction, 'the
<br />fish have been unable 'to' migrate
<br />upstream since constructi~n of the ] 2-
<br />foot high Redlands dam in 1918.
<br />Recovery Program participants,
<br />anticipate'little impact on water users.
<br />"Existing water uses will be largely
<br />protected and over 50 miles 'of river,
<br />will be re-opened to tlte fish, said Steve
<br />McCall of the' Bureau' of Reclamation
<br />in Grand Junction, "It's right iri line
<br />with how' the Recovery Program is
<br />designed to work." ,
<br />Operation of the fish ladder: will.
<br />require about 100 cubic fcetper second
<br />of water. About one-quarter of that, or
<br />25 CFS, will travel through the ladder
<br />itself; the rest wiil, be piped to: the
<br />entrance, to attract fish or will flow
<br />through another, smaller pipe that
<br />returns 'non-native fish' to the river
<br />below'the dam....
<br />In response, to public ,concerns that
<br />the fish la~der could hami water users,
<br />Reclamation, the: U.S.' Fish ,and
<br />Wildlife Service and Colorado Water
<br />Conservation Board deVeloped' a five-
<br />year agreement, to ',protect existing
<br />water rights while enabling endan-
<br />gered fish to regain their Gunnison
<br />River habitat.
<br />As part 'of that', agreement,
<br />Reclamation agreed to monitor the pro-
<br />ject so that opeiati~ns can be adjusted
<br />to minimize impacts to' water users.
<br />And during .Iow, .flows, some of the
<br />water that 'would otherwise flow past
<br />Redlands bain for endangered fish
<br />instead will be made available for
<br />diversion by Redlands,Power. In effect,
<br />the endangered fish program' and
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<br />
<br />. . - '. ," .," ," .." .' '. -Photo by Neil Obrigewifch
<br />. WOrl<eis build forms at the entrance to'the fish ladder before concrete is poured.
<br />The Redlands Diversion Dam can be seen in the background. The dam is locat-
<br />ed 2.3 miles upstream of the Gunnison's, confluence with.the Colorado River.
<br />
<br />Redlands Powecwill share shortages.
<br />. The ,ladder is being built in an area
<br />previously used by boaters as an infor-
<br />mal' take-out. ,To address, this, issue
<br />, ,
<br />Reclamation has' be~n working with a
<br />team, of local organizations and gov-
<br />ernment agencies. The team has select-
<br />ed an a'ccess, site upstream ,of the dam
<br />and is pursuing funding from' Great
<br />Outdoors colorado. '
<br />, The m~infeature'of the fish ladder
<br />is a 350-foot-long concrete" channel:
<br />around the east end of the d~m. To
<br />'swim around the dam, fish will climb
<br />through a series of as'cending pools.
<br />At the top, Fish and Wildlife person~
<br />nel will operate a sorting station, retum-
<br />'ing non-native fish to the river' down~
<br />stream while, allowing native fish to
<br />pass into the Gunnison above the dam. .
<br />The project is experimental, but
<br />biologists expect the endangered, fish
<br />, to' use, the ,ladder successfully.
<br />Ac'cording to 'the Service's" Frank"
<br />, Pfeifer, studies have shoWn that the
<br />endangered, fish are strong swimmers,
<br />easily able to negotiate a ladder, or pas-
<br />sageway.
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<br />
<br />"These fish have the, capability of
<br />swimming through the moderate, cur- ,
<br />re'nts found in, the passageway, and
<br />have 'the desire to, move upstream,'"
<br />pfeifer said. "They' congregate ,at the
<br />base of Redlands Dam, and historical-
<br />. Iy used the upstream habitat. A related
<br />species" .the northern squawfish" uses' ,
<br />similar fish passageways reg'ularIy and
<br />successfully in the Pacific Northw~st."
<br />, 'InJact for the first time ever, biolo-,
<br />gists "discovered laival-sizeColorado
<br />squaw fish upstream of Redlands D~m.
<br />, This con,fimis that the Gunnison River
<br />is SUItable habitat for the fish. It also
<br />may mean that' changes in, how Blue
<br />, .Mesa Dan; is 'operined', already may
<br />have benefitted Colorado squawfish, '
<br />, Pfeifer also said that saving endan-
<br />gered fish f~omexiiriction is important '
<br />'to tlie 'people of western Colorado'
<br />becayse itwill preserve a healthy river
<br />'ecosystem,
<br />"Maintaining the health' of, the
<br />Gunnison River and its native fish will
<br />ensure that future generations have an
<br />ample supply of good q;"ality'water to
<br />'serve their.needs," he said.
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