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study site to or from those at the gage location. Unrecorded inflows and <br />• losses between the gage locations and the study sites were assumed to be <br />negligible. The gage records were obtained for the period of record; the <br />gage with the shortest period of record determined the length of the <br />adjusted period of record. <br />The simulated "natural" flows were obtained directly from CRSS <br />output files. Reclamation defined these flows as those that might have <br />occurred at a particular observation point if there were no human impacts <br />on the basin. These flows were adjusted to the locations of the six study <br />sites using the technique described above. Natural flow calculations <br />were performed only through 1978. These calculations were a major effort <br />and are only updated once every five years due to the costs and time <br />involved. <br />Flows simulated for the 1980 level of development also came from the <br />CRSS model. Natural flows were calculated for the period 1907 to 1974 <br />(this was the period for which Reclamation has prepared the input data <br />base). The natural flow series was then run with the water demands held <br />constant at the 1980 level of development. This produced an output time <br />series reflecting the probable range and frequency of flows at selected <br />sites under 1980 conditions given historic hydrologic conditions. <br />These flow time series may be translated to habitat time series <br />using the library of procedures and programs described below as soon as <br />final WUA vs flow relations for each species and life stage at each study <br />site are prepared by CRFP. <br />L? <br />RESULTS AND DISCUSSION <br />Analyses of WUA <br />Because of extreme changes in bed elevations between low and high <br />measured flows, three separate IFG-2 HABITAT simulations were used at <br />the Potash, Ouray and Mineral Bottom reaches. In such instances, WUA was <br />calculated for a range of flows within the predictive range of each <br />simulation model for the reach. For example, at the Potash reach, <br />simulation models were calibrated against data collected at approximately <br />4400, 8000 and 16000 cfs. Because of sand transport and scour, dis- <br />tinctly different bed elevations existed at these three flows. Predic- <br />tions made using one simulation model therefore were limited to a small <br />range of flows around the calibration flow. <br />To allow a broader range of simulations under these conditions, the <br />WUA values for a range of flows around each calibration flow were calcu- <br />lated. At points of obvious discontinuity the WUA's were adjusted to form <br />a continuous curve for the entire range of flows (Figures 4 and 5). <br />To calculate WUA for a time series of flows, these final WUA vs. <br />flow curves were digitized and the coordinate pairs input to the com- <br />puter. An interpolation program was then used to calculate WUA for any <br />requested flow within the range of the initial curve. This process <br />13