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<br />.- "'"'t..... " <br />~\.i I. ~f <br /> <br />Report of the Regional Director <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />35. Mention has already been made of the acute sedi- <br />mentation problem affecting irrigation in the main Arkansas <br />Valley. At Pueblo the river annually transports about 944 <br />acre-feet of sediment. Approxi!ll9. tely 42 percent of that <br />sediment is deposited in reservoirs, canals, and laterals; <br />about 38 percent becomes undesired deposition on the irri- <br />gated lands. Aggradation of the river channel has made <br />some irrigation diversion structures inoperative; other di- <br />version structures have necessarily been raised. Removed <br />sediment now lines some canal banks and further disposal <br />has become very expensive. Canal sand traps have become <br />inoperative. The only apparent immediate solution is pro- <br />vision of reservoir space specifically for the dispostion <br />of sedimmt. <br /> <br />36. Stream pollution has not reached dangerous or <br />serious proportions in the Arkansas Valley. The most no- <br />ticeable effects of industrial pollution are found below <br />Leadville as a result of mine drainage and tailings. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />37. Fishing is a summer sport of considerable finan- <br />cial significance in the diversion area and in the upper <br />Arkansas Valley. The Fish and Wildlife Service has pre- <br />pared a preliminary report on the subject and has made ten- <br />tative recommendations concerning minimum flows needed to <br />preserve fishery values in the diversion area. The project <br />has been so planned and operating rules have been so form- <br />ulated as to prevent the diversion of water which would re- <br />duce the flows below the specified minimum. Continued stud- <br />ies of the requirements of the fishery resources are needed <br />to develop refinements under the terms of the operating <br />rules. <br /> <br />38. The mountainous portions of both slopes of the <br />project area--and especially the diversion area--combine <br />such desirable qualities as scenic attractiveness, wilder- <br />ness character, remoteness, water for fishing, and skiing <br />facilities. Consequently, they are important recreational <br />areas at all seasons. The National Park Service has made <br />a preliminary report on the project area and on the recre- <br />ational aspects of the Initial Development. Its recommen- <br />dations will be followed to the fullest extent possible. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />R <br /> <br />12 <br />