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<br />"'E,,", <br /> <br />",,\, <br /> <br />- -j"'.- <br /> <br />,,"''-'-.' ,,' . ' <br /> <br />I <br />ul ;- <br /> <br />OU1261 <br />, , , <br />, , <br />Division of Wildli,fe. A maximum of 10 access points at proJectcons1;r.ucted, <br />bridgeS would be provided. Fisherman-use of the channel is expected to average <br />10,000 man-days annually and result in a net, benefit of about,$30,OOO. <br /> <br />(2) Waterfowl - In addi,tion to fishing use, the main <br />conveyance channel will provide 172 acres of open surface water area. Waterfowl <br />production associated with the channel is expected to be about 258 ducks annually. <br />Waterfowl hunting and other wildlife oriented recreation are expected to average <br />, about 45 hunter-days and 500 man-days use, respectively. Net benefits associated <br />with this use are expected to annually average about $428 for waterfowl hunting <br />and $1,000 for wildlife-oriented recreation. <br /> <br />g. Rio Grande <br /> <br />(1) Fishing - Colorado and New Mexico - Project Operation <br />would increase the flows of the Rio Grande downstream from the mouth of the <br />conveyance channel by about 100 second-feet. These flows would improve the <br />quality of stream fishing in the 32 miles of the Rio Grande in Colorado and <br />about 76 miles in New Mexico. Fishing use would increase by about 3,000 man-days <br />in Colorado and about 10,000 man-days in New Mexico. Annual net benefits assoc- <br />iated with the increased fishing use would amount to about $39,000. <br /> <br />h. Trout Hatchery <br /> <br />(1) General - Trout hatching and rearing facilities operated by <br />the Colorado Division of Wildlife and the Fish and Wildlife Service in this <br />general area presently are inadequate due to limited water supplies of suitable <br />quality and quantity. Establishment of hatchery and rearing units within the <br />project area would greatly enhance fish-cultural operations. Use of the water <br />would be almost entirely nonconsumptive and would not affect the feasibility <br />of the project. Any project water consumptively used in this facility would <br />have to be replaced. Funding sources for the construction and operation of the <br />hatchery will be determined after the feasibility of the facility is studied in <br />greater detail. <br /> <br />(2) Water Qualitf - Water quality and site studies have been <br />made to determine the suitability 0 project water and lands for fish rearing <br />facilities and while these studies indicate that there is a good potential for <br />a trout hatchery in the area, the studies also indicate several problems which <br />remain unsolved at this time. Of paramount importance is water quality which <br />cannot be assessed accurately until the wells have been in operation for some time: <br /> <br />(3) Other Considerations - Other problems are conveyance of <br />water at suitable temperatures to the hatchery site, the extremely low gradient <br />of the project area, and the possibility that pumping of project water may have <br />to be shut down during certain periods for maintenance of the pumps and/or the <br />conveyance channel. If the well water should need to be conveyed in pipes below <br />the frost line, the cost might be prohibitive. The determination of the feasi- <br />bility of a hatchery must be deferred until Stages 1 and 2 of the project are in <br />operation. A recommendation could possibly then be made as to the inclusion of <br />a fish hatchery and the necessary water supply facilities. <br /> <br />i. Raptor Nesting Platforms <br /> <br />The project area is, for all practical purposes, devoid of any suitable nesting <br />sites for raptors except for perhaps the burrowing owl. It has been shown in <br />numerous studies that artificial nesting platforms constructed either on power <br /> <br />---"-30 <br />