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<br /> <br />DISCUSSION <br />Fishery <br /> <br />General statement <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />t4. Construction and operation of the Rio Grande Division of <br /> <br /> <br />the authorized San Luis Valley project will eliminate or reduoe the <br /> <br /> <br />fish habitat of a oonsiderable portion of the best trout waters of <br /> <br /> <br />the Rio Grande. This loss is espeoial1y serious because fishing <br /> <br />pressure will inorease on the remaining stream reaches as well as on <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />other streams in the vicini ty to the detriment of the high quality <br /> <br /> <br />fishing now provi ded. That thi s hi gh-quali ty trout habitat is now <br /> <br /> <br />fulfilling an outstanding opportunity for fishing is evidenced by <br /> <br /> <br />the extremely high fisherman utilization of the Rio Grande and <br /> <br /> <br />affected tributary streams within the project area. The reach of <br /> <br /> <br />the river upstream from the South Fork has been heavily stocked with <br /> <br /> <br />trout by the Colorado Game and Fish Department. but, with the increasing <br /> <br />need for fishing reoreation, the existing stocking program will probably <br />have to be supplemented. <br /> <br />Recommended streamflows <br /> <br />65. Most of the loss of fish habitat will be oaused by the <br /> <br />". <br /> <br />severe reduction of winter flows from Wagon Wheel Gap Dam site to <br /> <br />Alamosa. The Bureau of Reolamation. in a letter dated Maroh 12. <br /> <br /> <br />1954, requested that the Fish and Wildlife Service reoommend minimum <br /> <br /> <br />streamflows. ~ schedule was prepared in cooperation with the Colorado <br /> <br /> <br />Game and Fish Department and forwarded to the Bureau of Reolamation <br /> <br /> <br />in a letter to the Regional Director dated March 19, 1954. Flows <br /> <br /> <br />recommended in this letter are shown in Table ll~ <br /> <br />, <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />36 <br /> <br />1152. <br /> <br />