In February, public agencies and conservation groups celebrated an important victory for both native fish species and collaborative approaches to addressing western water issues.
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation issued a decision to allow the Flaming Gorge Dam — one of the largest dams in the American Southwest — to release water in ways that will better mimic natural flow patterns and temperatures to help recover endangered native fish.
"We want to express our appreciation for the eight participating agencies, the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program, and the many local stakeholders who care about the Green River and management of the Flaming Gorge Dam. These people care about healthy water for both people and animals, and they had the ingenuity to deliver it," said Tom Iseman, Water Program Manager for The Nature Conservancy of Colorado.
"While these fish have millions of years of history in these rivers, large dams built in the past century have greatly affected habitat for fish and other water-dependent species, putting at risk a very important natural balance. You have to get the water flow just right, at just the right time, and it can't be too warm or too cold," said Iseman.
The guidelines for the new dam operations were created by a panel of scientists who have studied the current and historic movement of the river and how fish populations respond to it.
Called an "Action Alternative" by the Bureau of Reclamation, these water-release patterns were initially designed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in collaboration with the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program. It calls for an "adaptive management" process that will be highly attuned to seasonal patterns, water volume and fish responses. The details of the new flows are covered in an Environmental Impact Statement issued by the Bureau.
Collaborative approaches to western water issues are especially welcome as concerns rise about how water supplies will meet the growing needs of both humans and the natural environment. In an effort to secure and manage freshwater for human needs, The Nature Conservancy and its conservation partner Western Resource Advocates believe that it's important for federal and state managers to bring things more into balance.
"The re-operation of Flaming Gorge Dam is a win for the fish and an important benchmark for the collaborative process of the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program," said Dan Luecke, a water expert with Western Resource Advocates. "It has been a long-term goal of the Recovery Program to re-operate the Colorado River basin's big reservoirs to help recover the native species. It's good news that it's finally happening."
"The changes being made at Flaming Gorge can serve as a great model for the rest of the West, especially for a similar collaborative process being undertaken on Colorado's Gunnison River," said Bart Miller, Western Resource Advocates' Water Program Director.
The Nature Conservancy and Western Resource Advocates are involved in numerous efforts across the West that will benefit both native species and human communities.
The Nature Conservancy has established the Waters for Life Fund to support efforts that protect and restore the health of rivers, lakes and wetlands while meeting the needs of people. The fund enables the Conservancy to work closely with partners such as water managers, energy companies, agricultural planners, communities and governments at all levels to meet human needs for water and energy without compromising the life of freshwater ecosystems.
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Comments: 8
What are your thoughts on how water is best managed to provide for the needs of people and nature?
Benita, so glad you're interested! to learn more about the Colorado River and our conservation work in the state, visit The Nature Conservancy in Colorado.
Great article. It's going to be interesting to see if the desired changes can really happen while the river is still dammed. It makes me wonder about the seemingly buried work of Viktor Shauberger, Teodor Schwenk and many others to show how rivers maintain themselves through their natural flow patterns and the consequences which result when we step in to change them. Have any other Gather readers every heard of these people or of any kind of deeper water work than reporting on shortages or pollution. Masaru Emoto, anyone?