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• Board Meeting Date: 7/22/2009
• Description: WPFM Section - Fish and Wildlife Resources Fund Grant - Fountain Creek Fish Passage
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

thev identified as the inost probable point of fish inigration. Mean velocit~- across that ~vidth ~vas
E29 ftJsec. The lo~vest ineasureinent taken across that ~vidth ~vas 3.~9 ftJsec. at the far ~vest bank
ineasureinent at the .2 observation depth of the .8-foot depth. Hargrave and Johnson (2003) in
their studv found darters in the Arkansas River at inoderate velocities a~eraging 12 ftJsec. plus
or minus O.E ftJsec. The highest measurement taken across that ~vidth ~vas 8.03 ftJsec. at 3 feet
from the far ~vest bank at the .8 observation depth of the .8-foot depth. Jim Bruce checked the
nearb~- gauging stations upon returning to the office and determined the estimated discharge at the
tune of flow measurements to be 103cfs. Also, the area (~15' ~ 40') beloa~ the gate opening to the
drop is lined bv ~1/2' steel plates.
In their consensus opinion, the fish biologists felt that the velocity (as ineasured) is an
iinpediinent/barrier to the inigration of streasn fish species in the area near the diversion.
It should be noted that there is also an upwardly protruding lip (~ 2 inches) at the edge of the drop
structure that is an additional impediment to fish passage over the drop. During the irrigation
season, when the gate is briefly opened to inove sediinent, inigration is likelv further iinpeded by
the increased flo~v and increased flush of sediinent through the gate.
The area is hea~ilv utilized by flathead chubs. Data from a 2005 survey _just below the diversion
sho~vs E93 flathead chubs collected. Gat-v Do~vler noted that this is one of the highest densities of
flathead chubs he has seen an~-~vhere in Fountain Creek, and he believes these fish ~vere staging
and atteinpting to s`viin upstreasn.
33.2.B. Project ~oa1s:
The follo~ving goals haue been identified for this project:
• Design and engineer a fish passage to circuinvent e~isting conditions that prevent fish
passage upstream of the dasn (see narrative above) and identify probable construction
costs.
• Conduct s~vimming tests on the species of concern to determine species performance
parasneters. S~viimning data ~vill be used to design the fish passage on this and future fish
passage projects ~vhere the fish species is the sasne or similar to the target species.
33.2.C. Anticipated benefits:
• Provide fish passage around the dasn structure for target species including the Arkansas
darter (state-threatened) and flathead chub (state species of concern) and other siinilar
fish species.
• Increase habitat range and nuinbers of target species nuinbers.
• Develop fish passage design guidelines for future fish passage projects on Fountain Creek
and throughout the Colorado plains.
3.3.3. Technical Feasibility of the Proposed Project
33.3.A. Ho~v the project ~vill be desi~ned and iinpleinented
The design process ~vill be a collaborative effort bet~veen Colorado Springs Utilities (o~vner of the
dasn structure), the design/engineering teasn, CDOW, USGS, USACE and Colorado State
Universitv. CDOW and USGS ~vill capture target species and deliver thein, unharined to
Colorado State University for testing. Colorado State University will conduct a series of
perforinance tests on the target species to deterinine s~viinining capabilit~-, strength, stainina and
_jumping ability. This information will be used to develop fish passage design criteria such as
ina~iinuin flo~v and velocitv rates, grade, size and distance bet~veen resting pools, etc. The