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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 002719 The region lacks any tourists or recreational attraction and the lower White River is regarded as a poor fishery. With comple- tion of the dam, the reservoir may be stocked with game fish and the fishery prospects would then be vastly improved. Improved fishing would economically benefit the Town of Rangely. Stream fishing downstream from the dam should likewise be improved with the decreased sediment load in the stream. Completion of the dam and filling of the reservoir would eliminate slightly more than four miles of fishing stream presently considered poor. The dam and reservoir will have little, if any, affect on local ecosystems other than the riparian systems which will be inundated in the reservoir basin. It is anticipated that the project will have little or no affect on vegetation above the reservoir shoreline. The fluctuation of water levels in the reservoir from the normal 13,800 AF capacity to the minimum pool of 1,950 AF amounts to about 40 feet difference in elevation. At the same time, the surface area will fluctuate between a normal high water surface of 569 acres to a minimum of 227 acres. This fluctuation, or draw- down as it is called, may create an undesirable visual and aesthe- tic effect during the low storage periods which will usually be the months of August, September, and October. For the most part, the presence of the reservoir will improve the local scenery, views, and visual effects. Revenue to construct the dam and appurtenances and to relocate the highway will require, in addition to payments for water, a levy against property owners in the Water Users Association No. 1 Sub- district. Under a 1979 Colorado law this levy can be as much as .~ 111-4 11