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<br />channel downaueun tv the UnianAwnue <br />HistoJtc DiIakt. Bmvea the CDICftII <br />-n.. byUm and raftm pJay IDlOft8the <br />bouIdmo mUla 1M hIckwaer eddies of <br />the city's newly d.If.-.d while-Wlter <br />. ~ the hrida..... I busy IIibwd <br />yard, put the IocI1 high sChool spons sta. <br />dium ud the Pueblo Greenway ud <br />NIlUIe Cen_1Nl throuah a eegment of <br />r..l_.lI- 410:_ ......1_ !!:_. ._ _ <br />~....., ......... ..iIi:i r ....3..".... <br />Pueblo OlIn. a powIna n of &her- <br />men IN dUawiriq KWn miles of I river <br />with a whole new daaracter -and an bon. <br />est-to-soocb- bOuIltftIIIl in the eemi- <br />dnen Of GIh!I1I CoIondo. <br />"So ~ it's IooIdng pat." Mid David <br />Jonel, IftINI8et of me ArkAnaJen fly- <br />6shina ahop ill Pueblo. "11wy've crated I <br />whole lot of hoIdina WIlle!' b troUt and <br />slowed dowa what 'NIl an lJU\ual blow- <br />out when the dam ptel opened up. We <br />shouJcl be MeiDa eome carryover of tIO\lt <br />JICNl" <br />11Iat 'NIl precUely the plan. <br />n.e new-look river is put of the PaebJo <br />Arbnus Riwr Corridor Lepcy Pmjecr" I <br />wnaueInYOJvins~~ <br />tallplldes 110 ImpnM wiIdIiIit habiw, <br />CllYironmenIll educatioa and campadhle <br />recreIIioIl alq eM approxIIIIa1Ily nine <br />miles of river from Pueblo .Raervolr <br />downstrftm to the cxmfluence with <br />Foumain Creek. 'Ihe project hu multiple <br />.. phases mI eventually is 110 irIdude the <br />0lIin of Laka, allrilt of redIimed sm- <br />el-aninift8 ponds Ilona the river that will <br />becane pubIjc 8shma WIten. <br />A 57.5 million ish habitat impr0ve- <br />ment effort.lI\OItly completed last tprins, <br />is the ClaItUpiect of the projeu'. initial <br />phase. <br />"We Mcl I braid, Oat river below the <br />dam," said AI Trujillo, Pueblo Area <br />WdclJife Manqer for the Colorado <br />Division oEwddIlle (DOW). "I_look- <br />ins at it and chiNdna dIit aRIIci Ix! a lot <br />better than it is." <br />Baht ye&JI .. liujlllo toUred sane <br />stream improwment projecta in Summit <br />Counl)t He WII Impioes8ed by what he <br />saw and beam apIorina die possibilities <br />of similu work in the Arbmu Riwr <br />below the clam. 1M ~ Pueblo County <br />and some by cMc Iadm were recepdw <br />110 die canc:ept. Other governmental asen- <br />des joinecl the efEort. AD the eIemenu <br />ewnNally fell into place, Ind the habiUIt <br />work bepn !at fall. <br />'I11e u.s. Amy Colpl of Enpwm pro- <br /> <br />8 <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />WIld mon than SU millioa for die <br />U11denaJdna. Qat Ouldaon Colorado <br />authorizlell Sl.5 miJJioa. with city ancl <br />CXIUnty pemmentl and private IOW'CB. <br />alftaibutins the I'fJIIIiDlIB The row <br />paicl.$26,(XX) dincdy and pcvvided indb.t <br />faNIIna tIuouah GOCO'I aDocadonfor <br />wiJdlifI1leme8tI. 1M COW aJ.o helped in <br />the tecMita1 plInnifta Cor the pzojcct ancl <br />&heriet Wolosist Jim Melby offered <br />=!mer. .I4il.; on-ti!= ~!!'.!!!!l!il.~ tt' S'..!!! <br />Construction Co., I CoJm.do Sprinp- <br />bIIed CDlb'IICtOI' Erom the private seam: <br />11te river below the dam has been auh- <br />ject to drunatic variations in ~ Luaely <br />to 8CXIDIIUftOIIate irripdon intlll'eltl heloW. <br />11uouah the winter Il1O. season, the <br />river tnlditlona1ly hat been low ancl gently <br />flowing. In the sprins and early ~ <br />IS the naturIl nmoff hits md irription <br />ails CIlIIl\f in. it _me a .SIlOlTtlU. <br />FISh that bad been stocbd It low flows <br />have been Iwept away by the ~ <br />irIaeases in wlume. On the other hlnd.u <br />low ~ IJO\lt haw found relatively lit. <br />tle truly goad holdins water - mil with <br />sufticieDt depth 8Il4 almatl to suafn <br />lipifbnt numbers of 8M. _ <br />fiIh and fishermen. themDr.. Md been <br />CDUlaltraud in . handful of loc:ationI. <br />Much of the river ft!IftIined UIIllttr'laive <br />wl seneralIY fbhless. <br />1he hlbitat projea WIt tv.ddmt tueh <br />ClDIlCleIN. <br />"We were looIcina at ftCIlftllOU1irl& the <br />dIanneI,. IIkl Doug ~ aenior lith- <br />eries biologist lor die DOW'I SoutbaJt <br />NSimL "11uoush the SuctuadoDIln dwr <br />h it hid been widened out. III some <br />places it misht have been 4 inches deep <br />and 100 yards wide. <br />*We were looking for waya to narrow <br />the channel in order tv provide velocity <br />shelten lor 8sh It hish aow. and deeper <br />alai for the ash in wintB" <br />Acmntinsl~ throuah the upper arven <br />miter. dwmeI modificatioDJ included the <br />amsaucrion of numerous houlder clus- <br />terlto deflect currents and stalrilize benb. <br />A Iltriet of J- V- and. W-shaped rock weirs <br />further 1lecbcl up ~ added deeper <br />IUI1I ad created off..c:huuwl area for <br />hoLIma &h It higher Sows. <br />nmiuah the ayakiaa ara, 1tI'Ite&icIl- <br />Iy P-l bouldm aaaalalCria or drop <br />pools uv1 eddJet, conncaed by aarreI\lS <br />meant to also serve IS fish pas... <br />benwen the pools. <br />"So fas; everyone'. been really pleue4 " <br />aid Scott Hobson. senior plumer for the <br /> <br />Qty of Pueblo PlanninS Department. <br />"The StruCNm haw been able to with. <br />stand the hiaher BOWl we've had this <br />sprinS, and from all the repons I've been <br />Semna. in April and Ma~ when the flows <br />\WR Arowuf 100 to 300 as (cubic feet <br />per aeamd) the Ashina for bOUt was <br />acellent. " <br />Hobson noted the pJOjca includes 215 <br />IIlIIlII\Ide ~ 1M was designed 110 <br />_,"""rnnd.'e flaws UD to 4.000 CFS. <br />WhiLe ~ SUIIUI\tr oOwslftChed about <br />2,800 CFS, acxordina to Hobto.n. the pr0- <br />ject', low-water capabilities also were put <br />to a test. <br />River flows in early May unexpected. <br />Iy dropped to a mete 10-15 as when <br />downmeam Interelts opced to keep their <br />water in Pueblo Reservoir tv facilitate <br />some maintenance work on their diver- <br />sion structUreS. <br />"In the put, that could have caused a <br />real plOblem," Trujillo said. "It would <br />have .ent us into a panic about 101m, <br />fish. But no,", the fish had some pools tv <br />hide in. The fish loss was very minimal." <br />River OptrallOrt have assured Trujillo <br />similar shutdown. of Sow ate unliIrely <br />in the future. At the leut, they would he <br />incremental with adequate prior notifi. <br />auon given to the DOW. Also, domea- <br />tic-water providers operatins in the <br />upper Atkan... Buin have aiped a <br />series of Incersovemmental apcments <br />related to development of Colorado <br />Sprinp' proposed Southern Delivery <br />System that require them to maintain <br />adequate minimum Oow. throush <br />Pueblo in all but the most extreme <br />drousht years. <br />"We now have the ability to have <br />trout fUhina like we've never had <br />before," Thunton said. "We have the <br />habitat for trout to IUMvC!" and we'll <br />have adequate water In the river in the <br />future. 1t'1 very sratifym, to know it'll <br />be there for our children and our grand- <br />children. .. <br />"II'I a phenomenal resource for our <br />community, and u word about the qual- <br />ity of the trout fishins and the boatins <br />course gets out, it'. ,ure to attract visi- <br />IIOrs &om other area." <br />Already, the Rsbin, below Pueblo <br />Relervoir i. a draw for analen from <br />alons the entire Front R~ with win- <br />ter and 'prins the most popular seasons. <br />"The biolNll in the river it inaecli- <br />hIe, and we're hol~ some pretty good <br />fish no~" JOnet of ArJranslers said. <br /> <br />Colorado Outdoor, <br />