WSPC05982

• File Number: 8541
• Description: San Luis Valley Project
• State: CO
• Basin: Rio Grande
• Water Division: 3
• Date: 6/1/1982
• Title: San Luis Valley Project Closed Basin Division - 1982 - Fish and Wildlife Report for the Closed Basin Division, San Luis Valley Project, Colorado
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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Wildlife Habitat area is the development of waterfowl habitat. 'A secondary
purpose is the development of fishery habitat. The Habitat Management Plan
for the area calls for a total of 24 fish ponds covering 140 surface acres.
The fish ponds will produce about 25,000 pounds of cold and warm water species
of fish and will support about 5,000 man-days of fishing use annually.

(2) San Luis Lake - San Luis Lake was privately developed
for recreation in the 1940's and was very popular especially for fishing.
However, a drought cycle starting in the 1950's coupled with increased irri-
gation use of water upstream, has resulted in a relatively low lake level since
that time. Consequently, fishing use of the lake at the present time is insig-
nificant. The existing conditions at San Luis Lake are not expected to change
over the period of analysis.

(3) Rio Grande

(a) Colorado - The Rio Grande is a poor trout stream
from the mouth of La Jara Creek to the Colorado-New Mexico State line, a distance
of about 32 miles. However, the river is becoming increasingly famous for its
population of warm water species of fish. Upstream diversions seriously de-
water the stream during the later summer months. During the months of August,
September and October, flows average only about 50 ft 3/s at the Lobatos Gage,
six miles above the State line. Extremes of record at the gage from June 1899
to 1968 have varied from zero flows for short periods in 1950, 1951 and 1956,
to a maximum of 13,000 ft 3/s. Other than these three low-flow years, the
minimum flow has averaged 26 ft 3/s. Without the project, fishing on this 32-
mile reach would be 1.000 man-days annually.

(b) New Mexico - In New Mexico, the 76 miles of the
Rio Grande from the State line to the mouth of the Rio Chama generally are
fished quite heavily despite the fact that most of the stream is inaccessible
due to steep canyon walls or the lack of roads. About 50 miles of this reach
have been designated as a component of the National Wild and Scenic River
System by the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (82 Stat. 906-918.) Recent fish sur-
veys conducted in the Wild and Scenic River portion of the Rio Grande in New
Mexico indicate that the fishery is marginal in the first ten miles of river
below the State line. Contributing factors are low flows and concurrent high
water temperatures during the summer, as well as sediment deposition. Down-
stream from this reach, the river channel deepens and the slope increases.
Springs and tributary streams add significantly to the river's base flow which
result in a good trout fishery throughout the remaining 40 miles of the Rio
Grande Wild and Scenic River. Fishing on the 76 miles of the Rio Grande within
New Mexico would average about 10,000 man-days annually.

2. Wildlife

a. Area of Influence

The area of project influence on wildlife includes the 130,000 acre project
area in Saguache and Alamosa counties. The National Wetland Inventory identi-
fied 43,122 acres of wetlands in the project area.

(1) A1amosa-Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge - Two
National Wildlife Refuges are located in the San Luis Valley. They are the
14,227 acre Monte Vista Refuge and the 10,357 acre Ala~osa Refuge. These
refuges have recently been renamed the Alamosa-Monte Vlsta Refuge Complex.

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