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0 STUDY AREA The primary study area was the White River (Figure 1) between 0-rkm at the confluence of the Green River to 206.0-rkm just downstream of the White River and Yellow Creek confluence. The White River is a tributary to the Green River in the Upper Colorado River Basin. It arises in western Colorado in the Flat Top Mountains and flows westerly for about 402-rkm (250 mi) before entering the Green River, draining almost 1.3 million ha (3.2 million acres) of northwestern Colorado and eastern Utah. The expanded study 193-rkm near Green Rive downstream of the Gates Colorado, and the Yampa Yampa rivers confluence (Figure 1). area encompassed the Green River between r, Utah, to 567-rkm at Triplet Falls, of Lodore in Dinosaur National Monument, River between 0-rkm at the Green and to 81-rkm at Cross Mountain, Colorado The White River flows through arid pinion-juniper, sagebrush, and barren land habitat on public, private, and tribal reservation lands (Lanigan and Berry 1979, Martinez 1986, Miller 1982, Trammell 1991). It is a coolwater/warmwater system that is subject to extremes in discharge and frequently carries a heavy silt load. The high-gradient river reaches are dominated by riffles, runs, and rapids that flow through canyon areas with sheer cliffs and boulder-strewn banks. The substrate consists of large to medium cobble. The low-gradient areas are characterized by deep eddies, pools, and runs that meander through slower warm and turbid waters with shorelines vegetated with cottonwood, willow, and saltcedar. Summer water temperatures often reach 201C. Sand, silt, and some gravel substrates are formed from shale rock and are easily moved by seasonal floods from desert tributaries. Most tributaries to the river are intermittent. Peak spring discharge ranges between 4,000-6,000 cfs. The areas around the White River are primarily used for oil and gas production, agriculture, livestock grazing, water development, and recreation. Taylor Draw Dam, near Rangely, Colorado, was constructed in 1985 for agricultural water storage, municipal water needs, recreational use, and some flood control (personal communication, Mr. Jim Gyler, Taylor Draw Dam Manager). In the spring of 1993 a generator was retro-fitted to the Taylor Draw Dam to provide hydroelectric power. Seven endemic and thirteen exotic fish species (Table 1) are found in the White River (Martinez 1986, Lanigan and Berry 1979). The only endangered species collected to date in the White River is the Colorado squawfish. 0 3 0