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o -, - ......, '. . N o (:) 16 existing canal systems. the West-East Channel pipeline. and the Ouray Park Feeder Pipeline. Part of the storage in Lower Uintah Reservoir would replace the irrigation supply presently obtained from five high mountain lakes located within the High Uintah Wilderness. A dependable water supply would be provided for Bottle Hollow Reservoir. The Uintah Unit is still in the planning stage and will require further section 7 compliance at a later date. The Central Utah Water Conservancy District is the lead agency and is responsible for all environmental compliance. including section 7 consultation. Status of the Soecies Colorado Squawfish The Colorado squawfish evolved as the dominant predator in the Colorado River system. The diet of Colorado squawfish longer than 3 or 4 inches consists almost entirely of other fishes (Vanicek and Kramer 1969). The Colorado squawfish is the largest cyprinid fish (minnow family) native to North America and. during pre-development times. may have grown as large as 6 feet in length and weighed nearly 100 pounds (Behnke and Benson 1983). These large fish may have been 25-50 years of age. Based on early fish collection records, on archaeological finds. and on other observations, the Colorado squawfish was once found throughout warm water reaches of the entire Colorado River Basin. including reaches of the upper Colorado River and its major tributaries. the Green River and its major tributaries. and the Gila River system in Arizona (Seethaler 1978). Colorado squawfish apparently were never found in colder. headwater areas. Seethaler (1978) indicates that the species was abundant in suitable habitat throughout the entire Colorado River Basin prior to the 1850's. Historically,'Colorado squawfish have been collected in the upper Colorado River as far upstream as Parachute Creek. Colorado (Kidd 1977). A marked decline in Colorado squawfish populations can be closely correlated with the construction of dams and reservoirs between the 1930's and the 1960's. with introduction of nonnative fishes. and with removal of water from the Colorado River system. Behnke and Benson (1983) summarized the decline of the natural ecosystem. They pointed out that dams. impoundments. and water use practices are probably the major reasons for drastically modified natural river flows and channel characteristics in the Colorado River Basin. Dams on