7804 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

General Observations at Gates of Lodore (July 2-July 25, 1962) Water Sampling Sta.tion. All water samples used for the determination of pH, D. 0., phth." and M. 0., were taken off the sandbar directly west of the ranger station. All water temper~tures were taken there" also. Hater. Color-brown; turbidity- turbid. The river did lose some of tis turbidity as soon as it had dropped about one foot from crest stage. Atter the river had dropped down low enough to expose sandbars" it began to under- mine them. The bars \Tere continuously ca.ving off into the river. This contributed to turbidity. It was often quite windy" especially in the afternoons" and a zone of wave action could be seen along the shore. This also contributed to the turbidity. Chemical analysis showed the water to vary from a D.O. of 6.5 p.p.m. to 1.3 p.p.m." a pH of 1.4-1.6" a phth. of 0 p.p.m. - 41 p.p.m., and an M.O. of 151 p.p.m. - 1690 p.p.m. (1) I suspect that there was 8 1arse error in determining some of the phth. and M. O. aUalinities. V.egetation. I found no a.quatic vegetation around the Gates of Lodore or for several miles up the river. :Bottom. The bottom was almost exclusively fine sand and silt. I found no gravel bottoms and very few areas ",ith rock or stone bottoms. The sand and silt bottoms were constantly shifting and changing. Temperature. The water temperature seemed to fluctuate" depending upon the weather and time of day. Within 24 hours, the water had a high tempera- t ure of 72.cOp and 8 low of 68. oOJ' . Shore. The shore consisted mostly of sand and sl1 t I much like that found on the bottom. Terrestrial plants were primarily currant bushes, Tamarisk" Bitterbrush" and lTillOlTS. Current. Current varied. from moderate to. r4pid. Method of Capture. All of the larger fish vere taken on throwlines baited with l.,hole kernel corn or beef liver. Some of the lines had five hooks" but I not iced that fish were never taken farther out than the 3rd hook. Redslde shiners, young flannel-mouth suckers" one Green River Spring dace" and one r01.mdtail chub were taken by the one-mati push seine met.hod. Several yolUlg fish (about i inch long) were taken with a screen dredge in a quiet backwater pool. Fish were collected from a stretch of river about two miles in length- the upper limit being the first vertical sandstone llall extendine; down into the water upstream trom the Lodore Ranger Station, approximately li miles. The lower limit "'as the southern end at a sandbar about i mile below the ranger station. All at the throwlines vere set on the bottom. Roundtail chubs were taken only in one place - on the sandbar directly west of the ranger station. The current there was not as Sl"it't, and the water not as deep (about 3 feet) as in mall1 places. Roundtails were caught only on whole kernel corn" with the exception of one about 2 inches long" which was seined in the same area that the others were caught. :Bony-- tails were caught in narrow channels uhere the water was somewhat swifter" =11=