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Monitoring performance of the passageway and fish behavior under variations in the passageway <br />will help determine the design parameters necessary for successful passage. This facility will <br />serve as an example for future passageway facilities within the Colorado River Basin by helping <br />develop specific design criteria for endangered fish. <br />An existing sediment bar along the east bank of the river will be dredged as necessary at the <br />upper end of the fish passageway to facilitate water movement. A 42-inch bypass pipe will be <br />constructed underground and adjacent to the chute. This bypass pipe will carry water <br />(approximately 75 cfs) into the river below the Redlands Diversion Dam to attract fish to the <br />passageway structure and to maintain habitat downstream. A 12-inch pipe will also parallel the <br />fish passageway to return non-native fish captured in the fish trap, thus preventing them from <br />moving upstream into the Gunnison River. <br />The passageway site will be fenced with a 6-foot-high fence for facility and public safety; a <br />bridge over the passageway will permit vehicle access to the right side of the Redlands Diversion <br />Dam and the city of Grand Junction's pumping plant. <br />The overall concept and design of the fish passageway was developed through a series of studies, <br />reviews and meetings conducted cooperatively among the Service, Redlands Water and Power <br />Company, Reclamation, the Recovery Implementation Program, the city of Grand Junction, <br />environmental organizations, and the states of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming. A more detailed <br />description of the fish passageway is contained in Appendix A. <br />Fish Passageway Construction <br />The proposed passageway will be constructed on land owned by the Redlands Water and Power <br />Company. Property interest (a perpetual easement) has been acquired by the United States. The <br />city of Grand Junction also has a lease on the land for their pumping facilities. The passageway <br />will be built under a contract administered by Reclamation; funding will be provided by <br />Reclamation through the Recovery Program. <br />The construction area is comprised of river alluvium overlain at some locations by 2 to 10 feet <br />of fill material. The fill was apparently obtained from the immediate area and consists primarily <br />of lean clay with sand, silty lean clay with sand, and silty sand with some gravel at the surface. <br />Along the alignment of the fish passageway, the alluvium consists of up to 9.5 feet of fine- <br />grained material overlying an unknown thickness of coarse gravel and cobbles. The coarse <br />gravel and cobbles lie on bedrock (Morrison Formation) at an unknown depth. The groundwater <br />table in the area is quite shallow and appears to be directly controlled by the river-water <br />elevation. <br />Standard construction practices will be used. Excavators and similar construction equipment will <br />be needed to perform required earthwork. Sheetpiling or cofferdams and dewatering will be <br />required for work in some excavations and in the river channel. A Section 404 permit under <br />7