Laserfiche WebLink
<br />130 m'/s (full power-plant capacity) in dry years to > 244 m'/s in wet years. Base flow (August <br />to February) release recommendations were also scaled to hydrologic conditions and ranged <br />from 23 to 28 m'/s in dry years to 79 to 85 m3/s in wet years. Warmer releases (up to 15°C) and <br />lower summer base flows were also recommended to improve downstream water temperature <br />conditions for native fishes in the Green River. Specifically, water temperatures of 18 to 20°C <br />were targeted for two to five weeks in summer in Lodore Canyon. Another goal of warmer <br />summer water temperatures was to ensure that the Green River was no more than 5°C cooler <br />than the Yampa River, to reduce the possibility of cold shock to Colorado pikeminnow <br />Ptvclaocheilus lucius larvae as they drift downstream from the Yampa River. The range of flow <br />and temperature recommendations were expected to benefit all life stages of native, endangered <br />fishes and further their recovery. Muth et al. (2000) recognized "uncertainties" regarding effects <br />of recommended flow and temperature regimes. A primary uncertainty was whether <br />hypothesized negative effects of increased distribution and abundance of certain non-native <br />fishes may offset benefits from recommended flow and temperature regimes to native or <br />endangered fishes. This summary of the recommendations is provided so the reader understands <br />the operational history of Flaming Gorge Dam on the Green River and the fish community <br />changes that have been documented over time. Study goals and specific objectives were: <br />Goal. Assess if recent non-native predator fish removal and changes in Green River flow and <br />thermal regimes since 1996 are associated with changes in distribution and abundance <br />patterns of native and non-native fishes in Browns Park and Lodore Canyon. Information <br />will be used to evaluate if flow and temperature regimes from Flaming Gorge Dam are <br />benefitting endangered fishes without causing detrimental increases in abundance of non- <br />native fishes. <br />Objective 1. Remove non-native fishes in the study area. Effects of this action will <br />be evaluated by determining if shifts in distribution and abundance of large-bodied <br />fishes occurred in Browns Park and Lodore Canyon by comparing results of shoreline <br />4 <br />