Centennial Wetlands Native Aquatice Species Prospective Recovery Satellite Facility

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If PROSPECTIVE NATIVE AQUATIC SPECIES RECOVERY SCENARIO AT CENTENNIAL WETLANDS Could Centennial Wetlands serve an important role in preventing listings of several rare and/or declining species of small native fish, amphibians and crustaceans along the South Platte? First, is there a need to take proactive steps to avoid an Endangered Species Act listing? Recent, extensive inventories of minnows in the South Platte and Arkansas plains drainages indicate a significant decline in some species more than others over the last 20 years. The plains topminnow is on the 11/15/94 USFWS Candidate List for possible listing if the decline continues and six other minnow species are in a condition of concern (brassy minnow, suckermouth minnow, common shiner, Northern redbelly dace, Lake chub and Stonecat). Possible causes of these declines include: water quality deterioration (increased nitrates), water flow changes (diversions for municipal, irrigation and storage), minnow seining for bait fish, the recent arrival of large numbers of pelicans and others being determined. These findings were presented and discussed on March 15, 1995 in Denver at the Colorado Native Species Protection Workshop which was jointly sponsored by the Colorado Water Conservation Board, the Colorado Division of Wildlife and the Colorado Water Quality Control Commission. Probably the most commonly held opinion of the 150+ or - participants (water users and managers) was that all would be better off if proactive steps were undertaken as soon as possible to decrease the chance of listings. As an indication of their determination to undertake such proactive steps, the DOW Commission two days later declared an emergency closure on minnow seining in the Central Region (Denver area) and set a statewide minnow seining closure discussion for the next Commission meeting in May. For similar reasons approximately five years ago the DOW and the CWCB jointly undertook a native species protection program which is now evaluating plans to build an $8 to $12 million laboratory (The Native Aquatic Resources and Management Facility) in the San Luis Valley. This laboratory will: 1 - do research on the declining species of small fish, crustaceans and amphibians and their habitat requirements and problems, 2 - provide a sanctuary for severely declining species to avoid extinction, and 3 - raise extra critters to repopulate their respective remaining habitats. They plan to build this facility in 1996 -1998 and also establish satellite facilities to raise native species close to their native habitat as needed to lessen costly transportation and to avoid the possibility of accidental escape of a species into new watersheds. All of these proactive listing prevention efforts are motivated by the desire to avoid an squawfish type recovery which is estimated to cost from $50 to $100 million in the upper Colorado River Basin. Such a listing along the South Platte could have horrendous consequences because this area for more heavily populated and the water is much more tightly regulated for municipal and agricultural purposes. Now, how might Centennial Wetlands play an important rose in preventing a federal listing? A sizeable property with a variety of types of water (lakes, ponds, flowing waterways, cattail marshes and shorelines) which is safely above river floods and owned by DOW could provide a permanent location to serve as an important tool to prevent listings. Sizeable populations of rare and/or declining species could be built up to protect the gene pool, and provide populations for research and for repopulating native habitats. Centennial Wetlands has the potential to be well suited for this purpose. It consists of 1776 acres southeast of Jackson Reservoir about 15 miles northwest of Ft. Morgan. It has 30 to 50 ponds and small lakes up to 22 surface acres and a unique water right which provides abundant water. The decree provides for 20 CFS from 6 headgates out of the adjacent Riverside Canal during the non - irrigation system (generally about 7 - 10 months a year). For 20 years these water diversions have been filling low spots and behind earth dams in this sand hills area. While most of the ponds retain water year round, most of the water diverted into the property seeps into the underlying sands and back to the South Platte over a period of five to twelve years. When this return flow reaches the river it earns a recharge credit (now about 450 acre feet per year and increasing each year) which can be used to augment new wells or pond evaporative losses in the area.