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<br />METHODS <br />Two general approaches were used to address the status and quality of PHABSIM <br />study site related data. One included an evaluation of the PHABSIM associated <br />data sets following procedures outlined in Milhous et al. (1984) and (Milhous, <br />1984a and b). The other was an evaluation of PHABSIM study site data for <br />conformance to representative and critical reach selection criteria as <br />contained in Bovee (1982) and Bovee et al. (1978). <br />PHABSIM Data Set Evaluation <br />Twenty-two existing PHABSIM study sites distributed throughout the UCRB were <br />the focus of this evaluation. Data sets associated with these sites were <br />evaluated by Bruce Wahle and other personnel of the Instream Flow and Aquatic <br />Systems Group (IF & ASG), Western Energy and Land Use Team (WELUT), U.S. Fish <br />and Wildlife Service, Fort Collins, Colorado. <br />Generally, the evaluation included an assessment of: 1) the original field <br />notes supplemented by discussions with the original surveyors; 2) surveying and <br />field measurement errors; 3) ranges of flow extrapolations for simulation; 4) <br />error messages from evaluating "input versus outputs" of the model; 5) existing <br />documentation describing any manipulations on the data; and 6) calibration <br />results of both methods, water surface profile and IFG4, using associated <br />evaluation criteria. More detailed discussions regarding specific methods and <br />procedures followed are provided in the "Results" section. <br />For some of the above evaluations .standard procedures have been published as <br />noted above. Other evaluations performed on these data sets were more <br />subjective in nature. However, given the experience of the IF & ASG in this <br />area, we consider them the experts. <br />Evaluation of PHABSIM Study Sites for Conformance to Reach Selection Criteria <br />Prior to evaluating the value of existing PHABSIM study sites for .use in this <br />study, the rivers included within the project boundaries were evaluated for <br />conformance to segment boundary criteria contained in Bovee (1984) and Bovee <br />et al. (1978). These rivers and associated river mile (R.M.) designations <br />included: Colorado River (R.M. -16 to 185), Green River (R.M. 0-364), Yampa <br />River (R.M. 0-140), White River (R.M. 0-40) and the Gunnison River (R.M. 0-40) <br />(Figure 1). Accordingly, these geographic boundaries define the current <br />distribution of Colorado squawfish and humpback chub based on Colorado River <br />Fishery Project (CRFP) fish capture efforts and represent river reaches to be <br />included in the habitat analysis. <br />Detailed discussion of the segment boundary selection criteria and their use <br />can be found on pages 38-58 (Bovee 1984) and pages 44-52 (Bovee et al. 1978). <br />Generally, segment boundaries include major tributaries and other locations <br />2 <br />