8192

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 8192
• Author: Wydoski, D.
• Title: Review of Report Regarding Evaluation of Gravel-Pit Ponds.
• USFW Year: 1997.
• USFW - Doc Type: \
• Copyright Material: NO

that the floodplain habitat not contain deep depression
ponds.

(2) Where feasible and practical, gravel-pit ponds that are
relati vely shallow could be back-filled, sloped to drain
as the river subsides, and allowed to function as an
emphemeral wetland.

NOTE: Some ponds probably fall into this category but I
suspect a small number. Unless the ponds were shallow,
it would probably be cost-prohibitive to pump them dry
and to haul substrate for fill

(3) Coordinate Recovery Program efforts with companies with
active gravel~ning operations to create stepped
terraces leading to the river during their mining
activities so that the terraces drain when high
streamflows reside.

NOTE: This effort would be strictly voluntary since the
mining companies probably do not have such stipulations
on their mining permit.

(4) Work with appropriate federal and state agencies to have
stipulations added to new permits for gravel mining such
that depressions are sloped to the river when ~e mining
operation ceases.

NOTE: The Ecological Services folks should be able to
provide ideas on how this would be best accomplished.

(SJ Use deeper depression ponds as grow-out ponds for
captive-rearing of select endangered fishes. If
practical, such ponds should be drained and the bottoms
sloped so that seining would be feasible to harvest
captive-reared fish for stocking.

NOTE: Based on Doug OsRl1mdson's work with growth of -the
razorback sucker and Colorado squawfish in off-c~~nnel
ponds, both species will grow well in such environments
if they are predator-free. Squawfish switch their diets
from macro-invertebrates to fish when about 100 mm. TL.
Therefore, some ponds might be used to raise forage fish
for the squawfish. Capture of en(J;mgered fish in the
past was difficult because the fish could escape the gear
used to harvest them. Sloping the bottom for seining
should eliminate that problem.

Grow-out ponds provide a "half-way house" for captive-
reared razorback sucker juveniles from the hatchery pond
environment where they are reared as family lots until
they can be tagged until they are stocked into the river

2