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<br />OCT-14~96 19 35
<br />. FROM. COLO RIVER DISTRICT
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<br />10, 9709458799
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<br />PAGE 3
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<br />Seleniwn study 1st of its kind
<br />
<br />... 8P GMlIIOIl
<br />lbeDili~SeIlIinel
<br />
<br />The studv 1I11 the hnmll'ul em"'l!
<br />of set.niun; 011 Ihe l't!prc><.lllctioo "f
<br />l'llzllrbal:k suckeN is the flrst one
<br />c.ml<l olllllllhe natural habitalllf
<br />1 he elldanlll'red fish.
<br />1'lIe study was carri<.'d out in three
<br />ponds ill the Grand Valley, fedeml
<br />nmc;.~1. Wanll" keep Ihe AxacllclCa.
<br />\lons ...crl! r tn "rmeet lhelnle~'rlty or
<br />tne study,
<br />0111' pnlld shnwed hiih levels of
<br />Sl!lenlum. conuinlnA as many :IS l:iO
<br />III iCrcJl(t'llms per Ilter: a Sl!l'Olld w,,"
<br />mal1:ilwlly clllllaminated. with 4 10 7
<br />lIlicrolll<lnts .....r \iler: and a third
<br />mnta tned very Illw iewl:< of
<br />
<br />selenium - rewer than 3 lnlcr(>o
<br />t:ranlS per liter.
<br />Each site was stocked wilh :i6 ra.
<br />mrbal"k suckers -,' ]8 males and ]8
<br />females. all from the same halch.l'y
<br />in Utah. and all 4 years old.
<br />'!lesearene" had expecttod a hij:h
<br />l3lVa..mortalUy rate In thl! musl
<br />poUuted pond. but were surprlS\,'<l
<br />when no larvae SUrvlVl'<lin the pond
<br />.:ontainlnM only 4 lu 7 mtcrnt(ram.<
<br />flI'r liter of ..len lurn.
<br />Ewn the razorback suckers thaI
<br />spawned In the cleanest pond we,,!
<br />unable 10 reprud~e. Hesearch"r.'
<br />sayan infestation of anchor worlllS
<br />may have been responsible for the
<br />100 pero>nt mortality Me In the
<br />clean pond.
<br />
<br />The nnly MIW'.:\I\d reproduction
<br />()cCUl'11~,1 wh~n a (xJr1tr(ll J.:l'OLlpO( ra.
<br />zfJrback su~kers ,'~:Iwn~ In cle:m
<br />waler alld W"I'. r"d clean rl~x1. 'rhe
<br />hamu'ul t:'fTt!Cl:S uf sdcniunl are
<br />thought to be '''illS'!!! by the Ill~es' .
<br />tiun of selpriilun,r:ollr"mlnllted fnod
<br />.... nor by SImple "X1~lSurc to lhe
<br />1.:hl:'Jllkill in thl~ watl~l'.
<br />When fish .I",wnin" In cleM wa.
<br />leI' were 1.1<1 selt>llium-cont:lminated
<br />fond. their 'arv,,,, died. '
<br />Conrillu~1 lesllll~ III UI" Ihrr.<:
<br />ponds will indlld" llu.nin" the Illost
<br />ptlUutt:u pund lu dt!l~l'n1il1o wl1l..1her
<br />51denhlm in ~~iment md mirTo.
<br />o"!(lInk fnnd Is siWlifir:arilly
<br />reduced.
<br />
<br />RAZORBACKS: SeleniulTI relnOV~ll COlI ld he tricky
<br />
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<br />
<br />. Continued from Pip One
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<br />
<br />Illanc"" snale. A certain alllount oC
<br />selt'nilllll has ah...ys been pl1!Sl!nl in
<br />I'lve..s ... a resull of Slonnwater
<br />nUl.off.
<br />However. sclentlstll believe sele-
<br />nium !I'wls inc~3sed subsl3ntbUy
<br />in Gr"ud VJ.ll"y waters durln~ lhts
<br />l'1'nlllrY due to IITigatlon Ousblna
<br />seleniull1 uut of the shale and Into
<br />IlOnds and rivers,
<br />While lilt, ElId.oni:en:d Species Acl
<br />pn,vldcs lhe authority Cor requirins
<br />habllClt ImprovQD1*nt. il will be at
<br />IOMt " yenr berOl'Q any spoo,'inr. eC..
<br />forts t/I remove ,YleniwlI are
<br />lawlched. In the meantime. more
<br />studies are planned to determine the
<br />extent "f the selenium
<br />coolamination.
<br />"U it re.lly Is lrnpoS!liIJIe to s.w.
<br />lhes~ r"h In the mIMlem world. l.t's
<br />~.I ull with our lives ,md .po,lId the
<br />...90url..... somewhe.. "1",,." said
<br />Greg Walch",. Ill'esident of I,;IUb :tJI
<br />"rf thoy c"n bo !lIlvl'd. we ha,'e to
<br />know ho'" II can be done and what
<br />the l'U:,ts Ul"t!'."
<br />Solll~ biolOJliat. boli.vo ,hot
<br />
<br />lining canal boIloms an~ cncour3jl'
<br />lng the use or .prlnklers and lIlkn"
<br />jets for Irril:ation would !'educ" .elr.
<br />nlum levels in Grand V.,ll.y wat.r.
<br />- bullhsy have no proof.
<br />Othel1l believe thaI ,...'<lucin~ III
<br />U-aleS In the soil will mUl" sr!.ni.
<br />urn. but again. they J..ek proof. Ni-
<br />trates ;lJ'l! Increased by lhe \1,0. uf
<br />fertilizers and the pre..nc" oC ..ni.
<br />mal waste.
<br />The U,S. Geulol!ica! Sw'vey I,;
<br />plannlna studies 10 find wheUl"r
<br />chall8ing Irriga.tlon pt-actlces and
<br />limitinl: nitrates in the soil will ,.e-
<br />duce selenium.
<br />A IN\ior liOlIeniwn....mova! alful'l
<br />would fl\qu!nl Cederal rWlllill~ I'oc
<br />landowners. whIch. can u. dlllkull
<br />[0 obtain bec.:luse .ndan~r..d .pe.
<br />r.Iu I~lalton i:i oCtr.n conh'oVol"
<br />sioll. In addition. .nvirorun'lIInl
<br />croups have nol made wustern
<br />Clllorado'. olldangerM fish a t,,~
<br />priorilY.
<br />And larKeting sclenlwn fur .",
<br />moval from the ecosyst~m cuuld ~
<br />tricky. since no one knows hu..lon~
<br />it would tnkc to remove it fl'fJlIl f1w
<br />v.IiAY's inlel'CoMetred ~'Os)'.lelll.
<br />
<br />The sludy was cnrric'<l O\lt In Ihre(,
<br />1'0111\.< in ihe t;r,md Valley, Wilh
<br />varyillM levcls ur sf!leniuDl <unl'lIl., '
<br />Whllu Ih. study found that oilem.
<br />wn l"vuls i\l the Illost IlOUutad'pOl}d
<br />were d,'mlllluc:Uly reduced by' a
<br />Uu.hillg ",:tion or Ihe 1'1,..,.. sdeni.
<br />Uln 10vels ill food ol1lanlsms rp.-
<br />lllalnet! hl~h. Tne studY found that
<br />,.lenilUlllnlht: food was key to sab.
<br />ota~1n~ the rnzurIJack's
<br />reproducllon.
<br />Thc I<m"-l.rm healtll of the f!Cl).
<br />system is r.rudal to (h,! (jS!H,~(:uverY
<br />program. Which must get r3lorback
<br />suckers and olhor .Ildan~el't'll S~.
<br />cto" to the pointlhwy ""n "'I,raduce'
<br />on lh~il' own And budd a viaDI.
<br />poplllatlUlL
<br />Whll~ tn. F.ndan~"'""l Specie,; Act
<br /><lacs not aUow federal agcnciell tv
<br />glv. up on .0~l1llgered 'p"eior: ~I\'I'
<br />r"alil)' nf ,corce foRI.ral l\Inditl8'
<br />mC:lns alAt'n(,'ii!'~ hUld to foeul'i un pro.
<br />~ra1JlS with betler chllllccs <>(
<br />.~t1r.cC:j:;.
<br />The Colorado River r"h lQCOl/llJ1I'
<br />pr(lh'l"nln haJ:. a 15-yp.nr lifesP31l. end.
<br />inc in ~rO:i. "t which time the pros.'
<br />p.ets f.ll t'.l'lV"ry will be exanunoo,
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