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<br />O " r '1 f; " <br />U..... u ~ ~ <br /> <br />will be stabilized at a repose angle of l~ to 1 to prevent <br />sloughing of material into the river channel during <br />construction. <br /> <br />.. <br /> <br />Construction and permanent access road locations will be desig- <br />nated or approved by the Bureau of Reclamation contracting <br />officer. Such locations will be those which will be obliterated <br />by the permanent construction, inundated by the reservoir, or <br />will be required in the permanent road system. <br /> <br />.. <br /> <br />Additional grading and seeding of exposed cut and fill slopes <br />along the already-constructed access road will be necessary in <br />order to stabilize the road section and restore a natural ap- <br />pearance insofar as practicable. <br /> <br />Reclamation reservoir clearing criteria requires removal of all <br />trees and larger brush between the reservoir's maximum water <br />surface and a contour 5 feet below the minimum water level. <br /> <br />In Blue Mesa Reservoir the brush growth was left in certain <br />areas of the reservoir at the request of the Colorado Game, <br />Fish, and Parks Division as an experiment in providing addi- <br />tional fish food and concealment. Their recommendations will <br />be solicited for the Crystal Reservoir. <br /> <br />IV. EVALUATION OF ENVTIWNMENTAL IMPACT <br /> <br />A. Probable Impact of the Proposed Action on the Environment <br /> <br />The Crystal Reservoir will inundate an additional 6.5 miles of <br />the Gunnison River. However, this loss may be offset somewhat <br />by the creation of a mediocre reservoir fishery. The fishery <br />is expected to be mediocre because of a lack of organic matter <br />entering the head end of the reservoir, steep shoreline, and <br />extreme vertical fluctuation of the reservoir water surface. <br />Very little nutrients will move down through the reservoir <br />system from Blue Mesa and Morrow Point to Crystal. Only one <br />major tributary, the Cimarron River, comes in at the head of <br />the reservoir, so Crystal Reservoir is expected to contribute <br />only a minor amount to the total fishing use of the Curecanti <br />Uni t. <br /> <br />Crystal Reservoir will have an insignificant effect on wild- <br />life since the reservoir pool is in the bottom of a deep <br />canyon and no big-game habitat or major migration routes are <br />affected. <br /> <br /><) <br /> <br />The major recreation use of the Curecanti National Recreation <br />Area will be at Blue Mesa Reservoir where excellent facilities <br />exist and the open water surface is extensive. The impoundment <br /> <br />11 <br />