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001559 Recreation Resources accessible restrooms, trails, fishing pier, fish pond improvements, parking, picnic shelter, and landscaping. Impacts No Action: If No Action is taken, the 8-foot-high Price-Stubb Dam will remain a dangerous barrier to river navigation, and portaging around the dam will involve trespassing. River recreation will continue to increase, and local boating enthusiasts predict significant growth of river recreation and day use if planned water parks are constructed. Increased recreational boating is expected to occur whether or not any action is taken to provide fish passage at the Price-Stubb Dam. However, the opportunity to extend the river corridor upstream to Island Acres would be diminished. The river would not be a means to connect the Colorado River State Park sites in the area; Island Acres would remain isolated from the other downstream parks. Fish Ladder (with or without Hydropower Plant): As for the No Action alternative, construction of a fish ladder around the dam would provide no recreational benefit. Dam Removal: As stated in a January 1999 letter from Gary M. Lacy, P.E., "removing the dam could create a naturally appearing, navigable segment of the river. This would open a spectacular canyon segment of the Colorado River to recreational. . . boating." Removal would significantly increase the potential for recreational boating in this reach of the river. A possible put-in site is about 3 miles upstream at Island Acres State Park, from which boaters could float down the river to a variety of take-out points. Popular day use take-outs include Palisade, Com Lake State Park, Connected Lakes State Park, Blue Heron Park, Fruita and Lorna. Removal of the Price-Stubb Dam would extend the 25-mile segment from Palisade to Lorna by more than 3 miles. Many letters received during the scoping process suggested Reclamation construct a whitewater park at the dam site. A December 1998 letter from the City of Grand Junction states "the City wishes to remain open on the issue of where a kayak or water park might be conceivable based on the. . . conceptual feasibility of such a park." Kayakers and other recreational users of the Colorado River are raising money to study the Price-Stubb Diversion Dam as a water park site (Daily Sentinel, 2/28/99). It should be noted that funding for dam removal would be provided by the Recovery Program for endangered fish, and does not include funds specifically for recreation enhancement. However, to the extent that costs to the Recovery Program would not increase, designs for removal could also incorporate measures to enhance recreational boating. In conjunction with dam removal, one of the options for protecting the ability of Ute Water to pump from the Colorado River (see page 14) would be implemented. Options 1 and 2 would have no effect on recreation. However, designs for option 3, which involves constructing a low head dam immediately downstream from the pump plant, would consider boating passage. 27