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March 1985 Marsh-Incubation Temperature and Fish Survival 137 <br />to a lesser extent. Estimates of development rate (V) in particular are inde- <br />pendent of net hatch estimates since calculations was based only upon <br />hatching time. <br />Since low temperatures reduce and may preclude reproductive success of <br />these fishes, it is useful to examine historic and present-day thermal data <br />from their known habitats in the Colorado River basin. Early reports (e.g., <br />Davis, 1897; Lippencott, 1900; Lee, 1904; 1905; Ross, 1923) dealt with supply <br />and chemical water quality, with no mention of river temperatures. In the <br />Salt River, AZ, for the period 1959-1965 upstream from the influence of <br />reservoirs, temperatures were >15°C from Apr to mid-Oct and >20°C from <br />early May to early Oct (Rinne, 1973). Depending upon location, water <br />temperatures during 1976-1978 in the Gila River upstream from reservoirs <br />were >15°C from Feb-Apr through Sep-Oct and >20°C from Mar-May <br />through late Aug-Sep. Major tributaries had annual extremes of 3-34°C (San <br />Francisco River), 5-28°C (Eagle Creek), and 5-33°C (Bonita Creek), with sea- <br />sonal pattern similar to that of the mainstream (Minckley and Sommerfeld, <br />1979). Temperatures in the mainstream Colorado River prior to closure of <br />Hoover (Boulder) Dam in 1935 were within a range of 10-30°C, similar to <br />temperatures recorded today in reaches unaffected by reservoir discharges <br />(Minckley, 1979). Observed temperatures in unimpounded reaches of these <br />rivers thus bracket ranges within which razorback sucker, bonytail chub, and <br />Colorado squawfish may successfully reproduce. Yet, they are largely extir- <br />pated from these habitats (Minckley, 1973). <br />Hypolimnetic discharges today result in downstream temperatures in most <br />of these streams that are relatively cool in summer and warm in winter. The <br />Salt River below a series of dams upstream from Phoenix, AZ, rarely exceeds <br />25°C in summer (USGS, 1950-1980b). Much of the Gila River was dried in <br />the early 1900s by consumptive diversion, thus precluding use by native <br />fishes. <br />In the upper Colorado River, data compiled by Vanicek (1967) show alter- <br />ations of temperature regimes in Green River, UT, as a result of operations <br />at Flaming Gorge Dam. Preclosure (1957-1959) temperatures near the dam- <br />site at Greenlee, UT, ranged from 0.6°C (Dec-Feb) to 21.1°C (Jul) while the <br />range was only 2.7°C (Feb) to 12.2°C (Oct) in the four-year period following <br />closure. Discharges from Glen Canyon Dam (Lake Powell) also have a sig- <br />nificant impact on water temperatures in the mainstream Colorado. Paulson <br />et al. (1980) report historical water temperatures in the Grand Canyon rang- <br />ing from 2 (Jan) to 26°C (Jul) during 1947-48; temperatures >20°C prevailed <br />from May into Sep-Oct. Following formation of Lake Powell in 1963 <br />temperatures have been between 9-15°C year-round, with excursions rarely <br />exceeding 15°C (from their Fig. 5.3.1). Kubly and Cole (1979) reported <br />annual river temperatures between 7 and 10°C at Lee's Ferry, AZ, 24 km <br />downstream from Glen Canyon. Influence of this cold water discharge <br />remains evident at the headwaters of Lake Mead, 440 km downstream (Paul- <br />son et al., 1980). <br />Thermal conditions suitable to reproduction prevail in the upper Colo- <br />rado River basin in reaches downstream of, but remote from dams. About <br />160 km downstream from Flaming Gorge Dam at Jensen, UT, annual pre-