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.., 0 r'~ ... ) .~(. :io.. . . 10 Fishing associated with these facilities would amount to 10,000 man-days for a benefit of $15,000 annually. Trout hatching and rearing faci lities operated by the Colorado Division of Game, Fish and Parks and the Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife in this general area presently are inadequate due to limited water supplies of suitable quality and quantity. Establish- ment of hatchery and rearing units within the project area would enhance fish-cultural operations. Use of the water would be almost entirely nonconsumptive and would not affect the feasibility of the project. Water quality and site studies have been made to determine the suita- bil ity of project water and lands for fish rearing facilities and these studies indicate several problems which remain unsolved at this time. Of paramount importance is water quality which cannot be assessed accurate ly un t i 1 the we 11 s have been in ope rat ion fo r some time. Other problems are conveyance of water at suitable tem- peratures to the hatchery sites and the extremely low gradient of the project area. If the well water should need to be conveyed in pipes below the frost line, the cost might be prohibitive. The determination of the feasibility of hatcheries must be deferred un- til Stages 1 and 2 of the project are in operation. A recommenda- tion could possibly then be made as to the inclusion of State and Federal fish hatcheries and the necessary water supply facilities. About 100,000 acres of seasonally flooded wetlands would be drained by the project with a consequent large loss of waterfowl habitat. This loss would be of national significance and should be replaced at project cost. A plan combining the Stage 5 well field and a national wildlife refuge, to be known as the Mishak National Wild- life Refuge, offers an opportunity to salvage water and also replace loss of waterfowl habitat through a coordinated multiple use operation. The refuge would comprise about 13,800 acres of land, including the Mishak Lakes water areas shown on Plate I I. There are about 2,300 acres of Federal lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management, 4,500 acres of land in the Stage 5 well field, and about 7,000 acres of privately owned lands that should be acquired at an estimated cost of $350,000, and should be made available to the Secretary of the Interior under the terms of a General Plan as provided in Section 3 of the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act (48 Stat. 401, as amended; 16 U.S.C. 661 et seq.).