<br />Water development options to be studied in Vampa River Basin
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<br />By Eric Kuhn
<br />Assistant Secretary-Engineer
<br />Colorado River Water Conservation District
<br />Glenwood Springs, Colo.
<br />Water development issues in the Yampa River
<br />Basin are the subject of a two-year, $300,000
<br />study funded by the Recovery Program, Colorado
<br />River Water Conservation District and Colorado
<br />Water Conservation Board. The purpose of the
<br />study is to examine future water needs for the
<br />Yampa River Basin and to explore alternatives that
<br />are compatible with the recovery of the endangered
<br />fish.
<br />Each agency is contributing $100,000. The
<br />study is scheduled to begin April 1990 and be
<br />completed by April 1992.
<br />An advisory committee will be formed, and
<br />representatives of the City of Craig, Moffat
<br />County, Bureau of Land Management, National
<br />Park Service, Colorado Division of Wildlife and
<br />other local interest groups will be invited to serve
<br />as members.,
<br />Last year, the Colorado Department of Natural
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<br />Water rights, chub taxonomy,
<br />Flaming Gorge evaluation
<br />top 1990 Recovery Program agenda
<br />
<br />By Angela Kantola
<br />Assistant Director, Recovery Program
<br />U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
<br />Denver
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<br />A total of 44 projects have been approved for
<br />funding in 1990 by the Recovery Implementation
<br />Committee; The total budget is $2.89 million.
<br />The 1990 plan stresses completion of the
<br />biological opinion on the operation of Flaming
<br />Gorge Dam, water rights acquisition, Gila (chub)
<br />identification studies and endangered fish
<br />propagation and rearing.
<br />The committee approved several new projects,
<br />including an evaluation of flow effects on
<br />availability of backwater nursery habitat and
<br />survival of "young-of-the-year" Colorado
<br />squawfish. A new study of the Dolores River is to
<br />determine if minimum stream flows and improved
<br />water quality have created suitable habitat for any
<br />of the rare fish.
<br />Other new projects will evaluate options for
<br />controlling non-native fish that compete with
<br />endangered fish, establish a method for setting
<br />quantitative recovery goals for the fish and develop
<br />a plan that identifies the studies necessary for
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<br />Resources began negotiations to acquire several
<br />major "conditional" water rights -- those approved
<br />but not yet used -- on the lower Yampa River. The
<br />rights currently are owned by the Colorado River
<br />Water Conservation District.
<br />If converted to in-stream flows, these water
<br />rights would significantly contribute to the natural
<br />flows in the Yampa.
<br />Also, the River District is evaluating the
<br />feasibility of transferring a portion of the
<br />conditional water rights to one or more small
<br />, reservoirs that would be built outside the
<br />endangered fish habitat. Identifying reservoirs
<br />compatible with the needs of the fish could clear
<br />the way for the Recovery Program to use the River
<br />District's water rights on the lower Yampa.
<br />The goal of the Colorado River Water
<br />Conservation District is to find solutions to water
<br />issues in the Yampa River that will satisfy the
<br />future economic needs of the local community as
<br />well as the biological needs of native fish in the
<br />Colorado River.
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<br />"Section 7 consultation" on the operation of the
<br />Aspinall Unit, three reservoirs on the Gunnison
<br />River used for electrical power, irrigation and flood
<br />control. Section 7 is the part of the Endangered
<br />Species Act that requires federal agencies to consult
<br />with the Fish and Wildlife Service on projects that
<br />may affect endangered species.
<br />Ongoing projects approved in the plan include
<br />standardized monitoring and data management,
<br />studies on the competition of rare fishes with warm-
<br />water game fish, development of sport fishing for
<br />Colorado squawfish in Kenney Reservoir, a public
<br />information program and a creel survey on
<br />incidental captures ofrare fish by anglers.
<br />For a copy of the plan, write the Colorado
<br />River Recovery Implementation Program, U.S.
<br />Fish and Wildlife Service, P.O. Box 25486,
<br />Denver Federal Center, Denver, Colo., 80225.
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