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(12-foot high) structure that has been an effective barrier to upstream <br />migration of fishes since its construction in the early 1900's. The Service <br />believed that constructing a fish passage facility would also reestablish <br />endangered fishes to parts of their historic range in the lower 40 miles of <br />the Gunnison River. Additionally, if the target endangered fishes <br />successfully used this prototype passageway, its design might be used in <br />similar situations elsewhere in the upper basin as a part of recovery. <br />As determined from the Windy Gap water depletion formula, funds obtained <br />from these various companies totaled about $400,000. In 1984, a preliminary <br />design proposal was developed that indicated a Denil-type fishway was best <br />suited for this site. The cost for such a structure was estimated to be about <br />$160,000. This proposal, however, did not address some of the critical <br />elements for passing the target fishes. <br />In 1986, the Service contracted the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers to <br />conduct a detailed feasibility study for an experimental fish passage facility <br />at the Redlands Diversion Dam. Nine alternative ladder designs were <br />identified and evaluated, intended to pass adult Colorado squawfish and <br />razorback sucker over the dam. The preferred alternative was a vertical slot <br />with orifice fish passageway. The structure was designed to be flexible to <br />allow for experimental testing of different ladder slopes, attraction flows, <br />and water velocities. The additional experimental features were incorporated <br />into the facility because it was not known whether either of these two fishes <br />would utilize a fishway or under what conditions they would use it. The cost <br />to design and construct the preferred alternative was estimated at $783,000, <br />which was about twice the cost the Service had funds for designing and <br />constructing the passageway at Redlands. Annual operation and maintenance <br />costs were estimated to be about $15,000. After completion, a three-year <br />4