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1 <br />1 <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Conclusion: Permanent <br />may provide habitat for <br />flows are low. <br />2. Water Rights <br />water sources on the Preserve <br />razorback sucker when river <br />Colorado River water rights owned by UDWR would provide an <br />additional source of water for the Preserve. Developing <br />these rights by February 1995 is high priority for the UDWR. <br />The water rights total 2,292 acre feet, of which, 100 acre <br />feet have been developed. The water is dedicated to <br />wildlife habitat development and maintenance. The location <br />will be determined by access, proximity to a power source, <br />and the gradient from the well to the desired destination. <br />Conclusion: An opportunity exists to augment water flows to <br />wetlands with pumped ground water or river water. <br />3. Water Quality <br />Ground and surface water quality varies within the Preserve. <br />Generally, the wetlands in the central and southern portions <br />of the Preserve are of good quality. However, some metals <br />are found in the northern and eastern portion of the <br />Preserve and a large plume of sodium chloride occurs in the <br />northern portion of the Preserve. The following summarizes <br />Cooper's (1994) study findings. Refer to Appendix A for <br />further details. <br />Water in the Preserve wetland habitats have higher maximum <br />temperatures than the river. The bulrush and the open water <br />communities have higher temperatures than the flooded willow <br />community. Dissolved oxygen (DO) is highest in the river, <br />which is to be expected. High DO only occurs at the very <br />top of the water column in the wetlands. The middle and <br />bottom of the water column are anoxic during most of the <br />summer. The pH of water tested on the site is variable, but <br />all readings were above 7.0. The highest pH reading (8.7) <br />was in the river. <br />In general, the wetland waters do not contain high <br />concentrations of heavy metals. However, state standards <br />for aquatic life are exceeded for lead, cadmium, selenium, <br />and iron. High concentrations of one or more metals occur <br />in ground water along the Colorado River in the northwest <br />portion of the Preserve and in the wetlands near the east- <br />central boundary. The source is likely ground water. <br />Salt concentrations in the Preserve are of two types: <br />' calcium sulfate (gypsum dominated) water and sodium chloride <br />(salt) water. Calcium sulfate is typically found-in the <br />native waters of the area. Sodium chloride is typically <br />18 <br />