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<br />-aO!!~H- <br /> <br />2 <br /> <br />:rhe works of the modified plan would salvage an average of about <br />100,800 acre-feet of water annually. This is slightly r<,duced from the <br />estimate of 101,700 acre-feet in the June 1965 report. As incJicatcd <br />hereinafter, about 5,aOO acre-feet of the S:alv~geu willer would be <br />supplied u) the Alamosa 1\ ational Wildlife Refuge. The remaining <br />95,500 acre-feet would be delivered to the Rio Grande. Tho proposed <br />plan contemplates salvage of water at a nearly constant rate of 100 <br />cubic feet pm second throughout the entire year. ~Ifl.intenance of <br />this flow in the Rio Grande would improve tho ecology of the river. <br />The plan contemplates an enlarged development of the ~1ishak <br />National 'Vildlife Refu~e in accordance with the recommendations of <br />the Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife in its revised report ap- <br />pended to the reevaluation statement.. The Bureau finds that the v."ater <br />salvage proposal would have an adverse effect on the wildlife cover <br />and the natural waterfowl habitat within the Division fire a which <br />is considered to he an important waterfowl habitat of the Central <br />Flyway, Mishak 1\ ational Wildlife Refuge would mitigate these <br />adverse effects and would also provide enhancement of the wildlife <br />resources. <br />The refuge would comprise about 13,800 aeres (formerly 8,000 acres), <br />consisting of 7,000 acres of acC{uired private land 2,300 ucres of public <br />land, and 4,500 acres of land 111 the Division, and would include con- <br />struction of necessary fencing, access roads, dikes, water structures, <br />wells, and a refuge headquarters, The enlarged refuge would take all <br />its water requirements from the salvage system, and surface flows <br />previously planned for the refuge would be slllvaged. <br />The eXIsting AlamOSll N ationul \Vildlifc Refuge, consisting of some <br />10,358 acres of ponds, wetlands, lind feed areas along the Rio Grande <br />at the lower end of the Division area as recommended by the Bureau <br />of Sport Fisberies and Wildlife, would be provided with nbout 5,300 <br />acre-feet of the water to assure n total supply of 14,000 acre-feet <br />annually to maintain the ponds, wetlands, and feed crops. <br />The plnn contemplates that determinntion of the feasibility of fish <br />hatcheries would be deferred until stages 1 nnd 2 of the wntt'r salvage <br />system are ill operation. A fl'commcndation might th(,ll be made to <br />include State and Federal fish hatcheries if wnter quality and tempera- <br />ture are suitable. <br />The Bureau of Outdoor Recreation reeyalunted the recreation as- <br />pects of the Closed Basin Division. It concluded that very little <br />recreation use tl.t the existing San Luis Lake ('xisted due to lack of <br />faeilities and water level fluctuation. As presently planned, San Luis <br />Lake would be connected to the l'OIlveyance channel wit.h II side. <br />channel ahout one-half mile long to permit sah'aged watpr to be <br />diverted into the lake for temporary storage "nd t.o provide for min- <br />imum fluctuations of the water surface of the lake. The basie rl'cTl'll.tion <br />plnn t'ontemplati'~ facilitif's for camping: and improved picnic faeilitil's, <br />including uppropriate sanitlllion ftu'ilitips, planting, f('neing, Pllrking <br />arp8.S, and boat-launching: facilities. <br />The modifird plan for consrrvation t\lHl uevrlopnwllt. of thp fi~h and <br />wildlife resources has bef'1l coonlinatl'<l with the State of Colorado. <br />As recommended by the Burl'fLu of Outtloor Rrcreation. the dt'velop- <br />ment of recrt'at.ioll faci1itie~ will be coordinated with the Colorado <br />Outdoor Rpcrpation Comprehpnsin> Plnn to itSSUre ('(Hlsistrllcy <br />tllf>rpwith <br />