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Fish Sprin9s NWR and the Smithfield Well in Utah were considered because each site had a supply of geothermally heated water that was free- flowing. Moreover, sites near the Navajo Dam on the San Juan River in New Mexico were considered. These were previously evaluated for a possible trout hatchery' by Piper (1981). Based on the 1981 report, the two Navajo Dam sites are unsuited for an endangered fish hatchery and not worthy of further consideration. This leaves the followin9 eleven potential sites that were considered in this study: (1) Willow Beach NFH, (2) Dexter NFH, (3) Hotchkiss NFH, (4) Logan FES, (5) Page Springs SFH, (6) Rifle Falls SFH, (7) Ouray NWR, (8) Brown's Park NIIR, (9) Big Spring, (10) Fish Springs NWR, and (11) Smithfield Well. To date, eight of these sites were fUlly evaluated, i.e. Willow Beach, Hotchkiss, Dexter, Logan, Ouray, Big Spring, Fish Springs, and Smith- field and a considerable amount of information has been collected and is briefly summarized in Appendix 1. Page Springs, Rifle Falls and Browns Park were not visited but were evaluated and considered unsuitable. No further analysis will be done. Hatchery Design Hatchery planning and design work will begin once a site has been selected in 1985. Our work on the design of the hatchery facilities will be limited to specification of cultural methods, equipment and facilities needed to efficiently carry out the hatchery program. The physical layout of those facilities will require engineering design work. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS Hatchery facilities needed to annually produce 500,000 fingerling Colorado River endangered fishes, at present, do not exist in the Upper or Lower Colorado River basins. New hatchery construction would be required to provide the needed fish. Region 2 has two facilities that have been producing Colorado River endangered fishes, but in relatively low numbers. Of these, only Dexter NFH could be expanded to increase its production of Colorado River fishes (Table 3). However, Dexter may not be able to increase its production of Colorado River fishes to meet the needs of both the LCRB and the UCRB. Presently, most of their pond space is devoted to the production of razorback suckers and other rare fishes. Hatchery expansion may be limited there by water rights, which are already overextended. Their present water rights would probably be sufficient if pond leakage was reduced. Some correction of the pond leakage.problem may be possible. However, the ponds are built over limestone, where ordinary pond sealing may not work very well. Pond liners could be used, but their cost would be high. 20