9483

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 9483
• Author: Mitchell, M. J.
• Title: Impact of the Procedures for Stocking Nonnative Fish Species in the Upper Colorado River Basin on Private Landowners and the Commercial Aquaculture Industry.
• USFW Year: no dat
• USFW - Doc Type: Longmont.
• Copyright Material: NO

Section III
INVENTORY OF PUBLIC AND PRIVATE POND OWNERS

The objective of this effort is to identify the owners of private and public bodies of standing water
adjacent to the upper Colorado River from Rifle to state line and adjacent to the Gunnison River.
Additionally, information was collected on each pond to determine name of adjacent river, side of
river facing downstream, surface are of pond, water source, outlet type, connectivity to river, year
pond last flooded, uses of pond, fish species present, and stocking history of each pond.

Methodology:

The horizontal and vertical study area limits could not be established as described in the scope of
work provided to this project. Delineation of the 50 and 100 year flood plain does not exist for
most of the study area included in this effort. This effort employed the definition for study area as
all ponds within 1 mile of the river in areas oflow adjacent landform gradient and all ponds within
0.5 miles of the river in areas of high adjacent landform gradient. No limitation was placed on
pond size. Ponds were identified on existing aerial photography in areas where the photography
was available. Existing parcel maps were used to identify land area adjacent to the river and
ownership in areas in Garfield County where aerial photography was available. These parcel maps
were color coded to identify river area, public ownership, and private ownership.

Identified ponds and pond owners were grouped by river corridor. Pond identification codes
(PIC) were encoded using a system that identified the county, side of river facing downstream
(left or right), and number of pond upstream from confluence with state line or the mainstem of
the Colorado River. Pond surface area was estimated utilizing a Planix 5000 digital direct
readout planimeter. Inlets and outlets were identified from photos if possible. The name, address,
and telephone number (if available) of pond owners was first correlated with the PIC number and
also provided in a label production format. Other information developed on individual ponds
included surface area, water source, outlet type, year last flooded, connection to river, use, fish
species present, and stocking history. All information gathered on each pond was assembled in
the Q/ A database by Symantec.

Pond owners were identified from aerial photographs and county tax assessors/clerks offices.
Identified ponds were matched to USGS 7.5 minute quadrangle maps. These locations were then
correlated with existing parcel numbers available from the tax records of Mesa, Garfield, and
Delta county, Colorado. Areas within the study area that did not have aerial photography
available required identification of all parcel numbers within the study area. This aspect of the
research will provide future identification efforts with the database required to identify pond
owners in these areas.

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