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<br />:',\ <br /> <br />r-- <br />M <br />1.''' <br /> <br />will occur. Release of the reservoir <br /> <br />water will, in fact, help reduce the <br /> <br />stress on river populations between <br /> <br />Elkhead Creek and the intake structure. <br /> <br />During normal low-flow periods, when <br /> <br />no drawdown is required, the plant <br /> <br />may withdraw as much as 12 percent of <br /> <br />the Yampa I s flow. This will result in <br /> <br />increased stress d,ownstream, especially <br /> <br />to the bottom organisms which cannot move <br /> <br />away. In addition to being shallower, <br /> <br />the water will be warmer and lower in <br /> <br />dissolved oxygen at these times, as a <br /> <br />result of this lowered flow. The ultimate <br /> <br />ecological impact of these periods, how- <br /> <br />ever, will probably not be as severe as <br /> <br />their short-term effects on aquatic life. <br /> <br />Rivers which, like the Yampa, fluctuate <br /> <br />markedly in flow throughout the year, <br /> <br />even under normal conditions, are <br /> <br />populated by organisms which survive <br /> <br />there by being able to adapt to such <br /> <br />variations in their living conditions. <br /> <br />This adaptability will contribute to <br /> <br />the ability of the river ecosystem <br /> <br />to restore itself after such episodes. <br /> <br />-158- <br />