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<br />Team worklllakes water for fish a reality <br /> <br />'Colorado River' flows i,n the "15- <br />mile reach" of the Grand Valley were <br />boosted by 2,470 cubic feet,per second <br />during last May's spring peak, thanks <br />to a te~m of local; state arid federal <br />agencies working to ,improve hahitat <br />conditions for endangered fish. <br />, . On May 31, their actionsnelted a . <br />peak flow of 16,000 cfs,. Such flows . <br />clean mit the spawning beds' and keep .' <br />, sediment from smothering the eggs of <br />endangered fi~h. . .' <br />"The teain coordinated the release <br />of water. frofu ~everal resem;irs to . <br />,coincide with the river.'s natural peak, . <br />giving the .fish just tlte ~irid of flows <br />they need for spawning;" said Henry <br />Maddux,' director' of, the' Upper <br />.Colorado' River Endangered' Fish <br />Recovery Program, "The timing was <br />perfect." , <br />By sharing the burden, no one 'reser- <br />voir was tapped for all the water. For <br />examplil; last spring's flows were <br />achieved by releasing 1,150 cfs 'from <br />Green Mountam Reservoir, 620 from . <br />Ruedi, 300 from Wolford Mountain, <br />200 from Dillion and 200 cfs from <br />Williams Fork.' Releases from these.' <br />'reservoirs ,were increased' beginning, <br />the last week of May and were back to <br />'average or below by June 3, <br />Formed in 1995, the, Coordinated <br />Reservoir Operations team is com- <br />posed" of representatives from the, <br />Colorado' River' Water. Conservation. <br />District, D~~verWater ,Department, <br /> <br />'. 60 <br />CO\Of'" <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />DILL.ON RES. <br /> <br />o?~1'f. <br />0;", <br />" ...~, <br />" <br />. or <br /> <br />RUED1 RES. <br /> <br />Water froh, Wolford Mountain, Williams Fork, Green Mountain, Dillon and <br />Ruedl reserVoirs. was released lastspring'to provide~ adequate flows for <br />endangered fish in the Colorado River near Gra~dJunction; , . <br /> <br />,management ,in ail 'environmentally <br />and economically sound manner in the <br />interest of the Anlerican people, '" <br />,Reciamation aiidother participating <br />organizations also arecoJlcemed about <br />the iinpacts this effort could have on <br />local ~omri1Unities ,and water users. <br />Reclitmadori's Eastern ,Colorado Area <br />Office has been working to keep the <br />public informed by holding public <br />meetings; persomilly. addressing con- <br />,cems and :distributing' press releases <br />and public notificatiol) letters. of <br />upcoming events, , <br />. To /:Ie placed on the mailing list for <br />future 'lJotificatioriS, please call Kara <br />Lamb at (970)667-44) O. . <br />,.,- Kara Lamb, <br />'Bureau of Reclamation <br /> <br /> <br />. cities of Aurora and Colorado Springs, <br />the Upper Colorado River Endangered <br />. Fish Recovery Progi-am,U.S, f.ishand. <br />Wildlife Service, National .Weather <br />Service, ,Bureau' of Reclamation, <br />Colorado Water Conservation Board, ' <br />'Northern Co'lorado Water Conservancy <br />District,. Colorado Division of Wildlife <br />and Colorado Division of Water, <br />Resources, <br />. "The Coordinated Reservoir' <br />Operationsprograiti is a good example <br />of Reclamation filling its modem role <br />of meeting historical obligations while <br />also helping endangered species, coor- <br />dinating with other' agencies itnd <br />addressing public, concerns," said, <br />Reclamation: ',engineer ,'Malcolm, <br />Wilson, "We are doing our best to ful- <br />fill our, mission of natural resource' <br /> <br />4 <br /> <br />, , <br />, , <br />, , <br />OURAY HATCHERY RAISES RARE. NATIVE FISH' <br /> <br />Ra'zorback suckers, and other <br />endangered fish are being raised <br />at the Ouray National Fish <br />Hatchery near Vernal,' Utah. A <br />large crowd of ,local residents <br />. participated in the hatchery's <br />dedication and open house, <br />which took place Sept. 1.9. (See <br />Page 8.) <br />