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<br />will be affected in cenain years when drawdowns are increased. This would most likely <br />occur in a series of dry years. <br /> <br />FUTURE DEVELOPMENT --Will there be water left for private development; will permitting <br />of work near the river be more difficult if fish do become established in the Gunnison River; <br />and will the program affect construction of the Dominguez Project? <br /> <br />Water in Blue Mesa is available for a variety of uses including supporting private <br />development. To date the demand for acquiring this water for development has been small, <br />but water remains for sale. The Colorado Water Conservation Board is conducting studies <br />to determine how the Recovery Program can be implemented without affec1ing Colorado's <br />existing andfuture water uses. The Board believes the program can and shauld protect both <br />the fish and present and future water development. The Gunnison River downstream from <br />Delta is established as critical habitat for the endangered fish and projects adversely <br />affecting the river must address this at the present time, whether or not a fish passageway <br />is constructed. The Dominguez Project would inundme areas of critical habitat and the <br />Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will have to consider this when evaluating the <br />projecr. In terms of overall Water resources development, the Recovery Program's goal is <br />to recover the fish species while allowing water development. <br /> <br />ENDANGERED FISH--Why not use a hatchery program to assist endangered fish rather than <br />the proposed actions; how can the fish flows be protected (to remain in river); will additional <br />releases from the Aspinall Unit make water too cold for endangered fish; will the fish really <br />migrate up the Gunnison River; when do you conclude that the fish have enough habitat or <br />water; will non-native game fish be harmed; and what happens if the problem with <br />endangered fish is really water quality? <br /> <br />A hatchery program has been staned under the Recovery Program and is an imponanr pan <br />of the recovery effons. The ul1imale goal for recovering the fish, hawever, is to establish <br />populations that sustain themselves rather than depend on periodic stocking. The fish <br />passageway is considered an imponanr pan of this effon on the Gunnison River. Water for <br />the fish will come from the Aspinall Unit storage and will be protected from diversion under <br />Colorado's Water right system in a manner similar to arry other reservoir release. In <br />general, the fish will be recovered when there are self-sustaining populations in several <br />portions of their historic habitat. Non-native game fish will not be affecred by the <br />passageway itself. The interim flow agreeme1l1 may provide slight benefits to the Gold Medal <br />trout Waters of the Gunnison River as well as to the trout habitat between the Nonh Fork and <br />Della. The releases will be small (300 eft maximum) and occur in warm summer months and <br />are not expected 10 qffect Water temperatures in the lower Gunnison River. A slight cooling <br />effect could occur in the river upstream from Austin. In most years, productivity of Blue <br />Mesa Reservoir shauld not be significanrly affected. In a series of dry years, reservoir <br />drawdowns will be increased and this will reduce productivity. lfwater quality rums out to <br />be a primary problem for the endangered fish, the passageway itself will not bean imponant <br />benefit to recovery ejJons. <br /> <br />41 <br />