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Division of Wildlife, personal communication). The procedures used in this escapement study allow for the capture and subsequent monitoring of resident fish as well as "relocated" fish within the reservoir. Study Area Elkhead Dam and Reservoir is located approximately 10 miles northeast of the city of Craig, Colorado. The dam is located on Elkhead Creek and was constructed in 1974. The current capacity of the Reservoir is approximately 13,000 acre feet. Annual operational hydrology is dominated by snowmelt runoff during April through June when approximately 90% of the annua120,000 to 100,000 acre feet of water occurs as inflow to the Reservoir (Miller and Laiho 1997). The spillway is a U-shaped ogee crest structure, 41 meters long, and the primary outlet works are located submerged in the Reservoir and has a maximum capacity of 180 cfs (Figure 1). The outlet at the dam has not been regularly operated since the dam was constructed. The outlet was not operated, other than seepage flow, during the study. There is an auxiliary outlet on the east side of the spillway to release to an irrigation ditch that releases 10 cfs. The east side of the spillway is in close proximity with the natural topography and provides habitat connected closely to the east spillway, area (Figure 2). The west side of the spillway is concrete and riprap and does not have the same configuration as the east side.' It may provide different habitat and different~attraction than the east side of the spillway (Figure 3). The spillway release goes over the ogee crest and down a flume shaped concrete spillway to a plunge pool. The controlled outlet works exits about two-thirds of the way down that spillway chute when it is in operation (Figure 4). . ~" ~, .. Figure 1. Plan view of spillway. FINAL REPORT - Elkhead Reservoir Escapement, Project No.: 118 Page 2 Miller Ecological Consultants, Inc. May 20, 2005