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4 <br />On March 5, 1979 the Division of Wildlife and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife <br />Service met again to review the three engineering designs and select the <br />best one for further work. The details of the hatching house and pond <br />layout were also reviewed. Final approval is pending. <br />The hatching house hopefully will provide an environment conducive to <br />survival and spawning of fry and fingerlings. It includes several features <br />requiring advanced fish culture and engineering technology. As water <br />enters the hatching house from the settling pond or the existing trout <br />hatchery source, it will be passed through an ultraviolet filter`to kill <br />potential pathogens. A water pump will push water through the system at <br />a flow up to 225 gallons per minute. A water heater will be used to <br />increase water temperature to approximately 70 to 750 F (This will be <br />a research item) because the incoming water will seldom be warmer than <br />550 F. By recirculating the heated water at a rate of 90 percent <br />recirculated and 10 percent fresh water, it will be possible to significantly <br />reduce heating costs. The energy source will either be electrical, propane <br />or solar powered but in any case will have a back-up power source. <br />Particulate material will be removed when the water passes through a settling <br />basin. Additionally, the water will pass through a denitrifying filter <br />to reduce toxic ammonia waste products. Aerators will be used to restore <br />dissolved oxygen to saturation and eliminate possible gas bubble disease <br />caused by supersaturated nitrogen. <br />Holding facilities include two indoor raceways for brood stock spawning <br />and six small troughs to incubate eggs and rear fry. A small storage <br />area is also included. <br />Production raceways and ponds, the quarantine facility, and the broodstock <br />overwintering pond will be located outdoors. In the raceways, it will <br />be possible to rear fingerling squawfish and conduct diet, growth and <br />survival experiments. Similar experiments can be conducted ill the ponds <br />" for comparison with raceway data. The quarantine facility will be used <br />to isolate wild brood fish as they are captured and delivered to the <br />hatchery. Disease inspection will be made in this raceway. The brood <br />stock overwintering pond will be used to produce forage for the brood fish, <br />hold the brood fish during non-spawning months, and research brood stock <br />maintenance techniques. <br />In July of 1979, regional personnel visited the Willow Beach National Fish <br />Hatchery in Arizona to tour their squawfish facility and discuss propagation <br />techniques. <br />The letting of bids and contracting of construction work were not <br />accomplished by June 30, 1979. Additional review of the hatchery design <br />was requested by regional and research personnel. Also the Colorado <br />Legislature requested a reconsideration of the plan to propagate squawfish <br />at the Rifle Falls unit. When, and if, these concerns are resolved, <br />construction will begin.