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<br />protection of fish, wildlife, and the aquatic environment, downstream <br />from dams under their jurisdiction.2l These agencies control the <br />operation of 23 major dams in Montana and Wyoming. Table 3 compares <br />their replies to previous FWS recommendations and mean and minimum <br />flows of record. <br /> <br />TIle agencies reported minimum flows for fish, wildlife, and environmental <br />protection which ranged from zero (four instances) to 38% of the <br />average flow. The 38% flow was the result of fish and wildlife interests <br />getting 500 cubic feet per second (cfs) released below Kortes Dam <br />on the North Platte River in Wyoming. Congress reauthorized the operation <br />of that project, which took about 10 years and is the only mown <br />accomplishment of its kind in the U.S.A. <br /> <br />Twelve of the 21 flows accepted by the agencies were less than 10% of <br /> <br />the average flow of: record, which is inadequate to sustain the nonnal <br /> <br />life cycles of either warmwater or salmonid fishes. <br /> <br />Federal and state biologists analyzed flows and made flow recommenda- <br /> <br />tions on 12 of the streams involved. f{owever, flows accepted by the <br /> <br />agencies agreed with these recorrnnendations in only 3 instances. <br /> <br />1 <br /> <br />In 10 of 20 cases, the minimum natural inflow of record to theregulat- <br /> <br />ing reservoir exceeded their recognized release for the conservation of. <br /> <br />fish, wildlife, and the aquatic environment downstream below the dams. <br /> <br />All flow recommendations should stipulate that outflow from dams <br /> <br />should at least equal inflow when managing agencies cannot release <br /> <br />the flow regimens requested to protect the environment. Project <br /> <br />11 <br />