WSP00625

• File Number: 8240.200.10.B
• Description: UCRBRIP Annual Reports
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Date: 1/12/1995
• Author: UCRBRIP
• Title: 1994 Annual Reports Package Part 1
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Publication

COLORADO RIVER RECOVERY PROGRAM
FY-94 ANNUAL PROJECT REPORT

RECOVERY PROGRAM
PROJECT # ~

I, Project Title: General Hydrology Support

II, Principal Investigator: George Smith, PO Box 25486, Denver, CO
80225. EMail: [e-mail]. Phone: [phone]. Fax:
303-236-4224

III. Project Summary: The Service's Division of Water Resources provides
basic hydrology information to program researchers and undertakes
tasks to support the Recovery Implementation Program, including:
I) collecting temperature data at important habitats and assembling a
database for use by Program researchers; 2) contracting for operation
flow gages and flow related studies; 3) providing technical support
for a wide range of activities the Recovery Implementation Program is
involved in on a year-to-year basis; 4) providing support to the
Water Acquisition Committee to implement studies and research in
support of water right acquisition; 5) providing support to other
agencies in issues relating to flow quantification, hydrology data,
and report review; and 6) providing support to the Flaming Gorge and
Aspinall Biological Opinion Work Groups

IV. Study Schedule: Initial Year - 1990

Final Year - Ongoing

V. Relationship to RIPRAP: Colorado and Green River Action Plans I.
Provide and protect instream flows.

VI. Accomplishments: Task 1: Temperature data collection during FY-94
was relatively uneventful as compared to the problems encountered in
1993, During 1994, only one thermograph was lost to vandals, who
removed the thermograph from the Escalante Wildlife Area on the
Gunnison River, Data was collected at the Escalante locations
between early May, when the thermograph was installed, and late June
when the thermograph was stolen. It was not replaced because there
were no good areas to hide the thermograph since all the vegetation
was removed during the 1993 high flows, The thermograph installed
below Razorback Bar on the Green River was left in place to record
November temperatures in order to determine what effects construction
work at Flaming Gorge had on temperatures, Two thermographs were
provided to the Larval Fish Lab for work on the Little Snake River.
Both thermographs worked well and were returned in October. All
other thermographs were recovered and data downlQaded. The
temperature database program was updated and can be accessed easily
and output in several graphic formats. A report on the data
collection and database program will be presented and placed on the
Recovery Program bulletin board for researchers to access. The data
also will be available at the annual researchers meeting in February.

Task 2 - Gage installation and maintenance: The Division of Water
Resources provided contract assistance to the Colorado Division of
Wildlife and U.S. Geological Survey to facilitate the operation and
maintenance of a gage in the IS-Mile Reach near Palisade, Colorado.
A second temporary gage has been installed at the lower end of the
IS-Mile Reach, Information from the 1994 gage operation will be
available in January, at which time a report will be prepared and
shared with the Water Acquisition Committee and the Colorado Water
Conservation Board. The data also is used to document how flows from