7893 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

.I. threaten endangered species net across reservoir to protect habitat. "." There's no guarantee 1 0.0 percent. Anytime .you have fish in a reservoir,. it's abo~t impossible to keep them in. " The U.S. Bureau of Reclamalion as installed a huge fish nel near. le spillwayal McPhee Dam lo keep )orl fish in the lake during water ~Jeases. fish biologists said they do Ol..ll0W how many sporl fish es- ~ped between the end of March, the Dolores River," Schrader said. hen spilling began, and mid- The bureau is using the spillway pril, when the net was installed. because the outlet tunnel at the re- Some species, such as the non- servoir bOltom is closed for repairs., aliVe small-mouth ancJ large- Fewer fish tend to escape though louth bass, channel catfish, yellow the lunnel, Schrader said. But high erch and black crappie, are preda- spring runoff required the bureau Irs that could swim down the 00- to spill before repair work was Ires River into habitats occupied finished. ( endangered-fish species, said Dana Hill, project construction !tty Schrader, U.S. Fish and Wild- engineer. said repairs began in ~e Service biologist. November. but construction of a Schrader said biologists are most part took time. The 'repairs should mcemed about the potential in- be completed next week. oduction of small-mouth bass Unless the flow into the reservoir Ito the Dolores River where gets too high. the bureau releases Ie never been before. Koka- water through the outlet tunnel ees-dlmon, a cold-water fish, also than the spillway. Releasing lay have escaped. through the tunnel tends to minim- Under the Endangered Species ize fish escapement because fewer Cl, the bureau is pa:rticipating in fish are at the lake's bottom, prefer- rograms to recover endangered ring inStead the warmer water sh in the Upper Colorado River higher up. ' nd San Juan River basins. The bureau said recent warm Schrader said Fish and Wildlife weather combined with last oes not know whether escaped winter's above-average snowpack sh caused any damage. increased runoff levels into -We are requesting the bureau McPhee. Reservoir. The bureau o follow-up studies and surveys on ,tlten had to regulate the reservoir's I ! il~\~~~~r . ,. :;j,~~t{1) : .\': ~~~:.~.~ ~\}i;1{:~f. . ::~~~:.~:'!,'. i$~ ><!":."': '",.~),~: ~,i",\" i~':~~.(;~' '/1". i'};l~'~l"~; ....,~~ SPECIAL TO THE HEF A 600.FOOT.WIDE net has been In.talled across McPhee Reservoir Ir effort to keep warm-water sport n.h from .pllllng Into the Dolores RI threatening trout and endangered-nsh species living below the dan Patty Schrader, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist surface elevation by releasing ex- cess spring flows over the spillway, a press release said. . Biologists became concerned the spills allowed wann-water sport fish to escape not only into habitats occupied by endangered-fish spe- cies, but also into the downstream Dolores River trout fishery. The bureau responded to biolo- gists' concerns by asking Kirk Lash- mett, environmental protection specialist, to oversee the net pro- ject. The net will remain in place this spring and be stored for use during future spillway discharges. "We feel like it will minimize es- capement." Schrader said. "There's no guarantee 100 percent. Anytime you helve fish In a reservoir, It's 'ab- out impossible to keep them in." After surveying the cove' sur- rounding the spillway. the bureau determined the barrier net in- stalled between the dam and the cliff on the north reservoir shore- line would keep sport fish from en- tering the. spillway area. The 600-foot-wide net extends from the reservoir bottom to the water surface and is contoured to follow the reservoir's submerged shoreline. Workers believe they placed the net and a buoy line, to warn boaters, far enough from the spillway so they cannot be washed into the river. Hill said repair work began after the bureau discovered a cracked seal and loose bolts on a guard gate on the outlet tunnel during a rou- tine maintenance check. To replace the seal, divers had to install temporary bulkht:nd g; deep in the lav. When the tllT1 dried, they began work on guard gates. Hill said divers will pull onl bulkheads next week. He did have a cost estimate for the rer but said other than the work of divers and mill work on a seal, repairs were part of routine t~ The Colorado Division of "" life, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser and U.S. Forest Service helped, net installation. 9- \1 ,