Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program: Emerging Challenges

Upper Colorado River Basin Water Forum Grand Junction, Colorado November 2-3, 2016  Established in 1988

 Partners  State of Colorado  State of Utah  State of Wyoming  Bureau of Reclamation  Colorado River Energy Distributors Association  Colorado Water Congress  National Park Service  The Nature Conservancy  U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service  Utah Water Users Association  Western Area Power Administration  Western Resource Advocates  Wyoming Water Association

Fish Illustrations by Joe Tomelleri The Goal of the Recovery Program

 The purpose of this Recovery Program is to recover the endangered fishes while water development proceeds in compliance with all applicable Federal and State laws. Endangered Law of the Species Act River  Providing Endangered Species Act compliance for federal, tribal, state and private existing and new water projects throughout the Colorado River Basin above Lake Powell. Recovery Program Provides ESA compliance for Historic and New Water Depletion Projects

* Amount included in individual state’s new depletions The Endangered Colorado River fish

Colorado pikeminnow Razorback sucker

Humpback chub

Bonytail Habitat Development

Recovery Elements

Habitat Flow Management

Managing Research and Monitoring Nonnative fish

Stocking Endangered Fish Recovery Elements

• Habitat and Flow Management • Habitat Development • Stocking Endangered Fish • Nonnative Fish Management • Research and Monitoring • Information and Education Colorado River Base Flow Management: 15-Mile Reach

• Immediately downstream of large, historical diversions, and upstream of tributary flow contributions from the Gunnison River • The most flow-impacted reach of Critical Habitat in the Upper Basin • Spawning habitat for pikeminnow and razorback sucker • Partners have focused on flow management in this reach since inception of the Program • 15MR PBO (signed in 1999) - currently under review 15-Mile Reach Base Flow Management: 1991- 2015

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

'Wet' Year (<25% Exceedance) - Avg 1,630 1,630 1,630 3,210 10,720 15,660 7,060 1,630 1,630 1,630 1,630 1,630 Monthly Flow Targets 2011 1,627 1,642 2,041 3,230 10,320 26,430 16,130 2,879 1,762 1,777 2,221 1,840 1997 2,179 2,122 2,798 3,402 12,870 20,860 5,213 3,574 2,461 2,560 2,484 2,370 1995 1,429 1,449 1,749 962 5,415 20,040 16,010 3,897 1,339 1,477 2,373 2,198 1993 1,449 1,544 2,015 2,540 14,160 15,830 6,702 1,788 1,287 1,279 1,837 1,873 2008 1,566 1,813 1,933 2,192 10,300 17,290 6,816 1,877 1,703 1,510 2,127 1,839 'Wet / Avg' Year (26 - 50% Exceedance) - Avg 1,630 1,630 1,630 2,440 9,380 14,250 5,370 1,630 1,630 1,630 1,630 1,630 Monthly Flow Targets 1996 2,093 2,416 2,787 4,837 11,820 12,360 4,105 876 1,085 1,423 2,248 2,200 2009 1,831 1,770 1,874 2,337 11,720 11,870 4,841 1,461 1,127 1,413 1,870 1,453 1998 2,375 2,292 2,913 3,361 10,400 7,931 4,184 1,849 1,284 1,550 2,332 1,910 2005 1,677 1,429 1,512 2,140 7,808 10,030 4,154 1,353 1,305 1,528 2,272 2,015 2014 1,703 1,816 2,200 3,892 10,120 13,740 4,435 1,837 1,786 1,945 2,094 1,928 2006 1,849 1,782 2,229 4,364 9,305 6,140 2,044 1,152 1,271 1,996 2,166 1,880

'Dry / Avg' Year (51- 80% Exceedance) - 1,630 1,630 1,630 2,260 7,710 11,350 3,150 1,240 1,240 1,240 1,630 1,630 Avg Monthly Flow Targets 1999 1,939 1,854 1,789 996.3 4,794 11,000 4,556 2,183 1,771 1,837 2,054 1,780 2010 1,526 1,508 1,568 2,243 4,561 12,780 2,012 1,362 891.2 1,106 1,893 1,855 2003 1,145 1,156 1,336 709.8 5,906 7,244 1,052 611.2 1,088 1,078 1,419 1,403 1991 1,280 1,297 1,302 1,148 5,059 8,488 2,168 797.4 979.8 853.9 1,918 1,502 2007 1,565 1,705 2,368 1,795 6,132 5,951 1,616 893 1,353 1,553 1,870 1,825 2000 1,931 2,002 1,930 1,927 7,040 6,017 1,272 912.6 986.4 901.5 1,701 1,496 2015 1,747 1,755 1,990 1,441 6,096 14,980 4,921 1,045 1,241 2,379 1,827 1,520

'Dry' Year (81 - 100% Exceedance) - 1,240 1,240 1,240 1,860 7,260 6,850 1,480 810 810 810 1,240 1,240 Avg Monthly Flow Targets 1994 1,794 1,903 2,109 1,802 4,874 4,585 744.6 557.5 650 843.4 1,220 1,460 2001 1,322 1,352 1,476 972.7 5,149 3,764 995.3 1,133 1,014 807.1 1,573 1,345 1992 1,378 1,475 1,684 1,773 4,603 3,164 1,196 822 800.9 628.1 1,628 1,423 2004 1,322 1,300 1,597 1,086 3,297 2,976 973.5 497.6 830.3 1,078 1,801 1,487 2012 1,765 1,600 2,026 1,131 1,840 1,052 615.1 454.1 371.7 528.6 1,404 1,188 2013 1,137 1,147 1,204 307.6 4,043 4,306 742.6 727.4 1,272 1,288 2,031 1,707 2002 1,405 1,286 1,396 1,010 1,016 934.9 161 115.4 240.9 526.2 1,618 1,217 observed average monthly flow target met observed average monthly flow target not met, but > minimum monthly (810 cfs) observed average monthly flow < 810 cfs Colorado River Base Flow Management: 15-Mile Reach

“avg dry” target of 1240 cfs

“dry” target of 810 cfs Colorado River Flow Management (cont.)

Coordinated water releases (1997-2015) Benefit Endangered Fishes in the Colorado River Reservoirs Acre-Feet Granby 74,655 Green Mtn 704,959 Palisade Bypass 164,608 Ruedi 370,084 Williams Fork 103,965 Willow Ck 9,918 Windy Gap 3,718 Wolford Mtn 155,240 Total Ac-Ft 1,587,147

In 2015 and 2016 (w / future options) - CWCB leases 9,000 ac-ft from the Ute Water Conservancy District’s pool in Ruedi Reservoir to further augment summer / autumn flow in the 15- MR!! Recovery Elements

• Habitat and Flow Management • Habitat Development • Stocking Endangered Fish • Nonnative Fish Management • Research and Monitoring • Information and Education Fish Ladders : Grand Valley

Year # of CPM passed 1996 1 1997 18 1998 23 1999 5 2000 4 2001 1 2002 7 2003 3 2004 5 2005 4 2006 10 2007 21 2008 0 2009 2 2010 4 2011 2 2012 12 Redlands Fish Ladder on the Lower Gunnison River. 2013 2 2014 17 2015 6 2016 32 Tusher Diversion Rebuild Complete Recovery Elements

• Habitat and Flow Management • Habitat Development • Stocking Endangered Fish • Nonnative Fish Management • Research and Monitoring • Information and Education Propagation, genetics, and stocking (aka the Endangered Fish Hatchery Program)

Hatchery Production Necessary?

YES

Bonytail Razorback sucker

NO

Colorado pikeminnow Humpback chub Recovery Elements

• Habitat and Flow Management • Habitat Development • Stocking Endangered Fish • Nonnative Fish Management • Research and Monitoring • Information and Education Expanding Nonnative Fish Populations

Recovery Elements

• Habitat and Flow Management • Habitat Development • Stocking Endangered Fish • Nonnative Fish Management • Research and Monitoring • Information and Education Humpback Chub Humpback Chub

Researchers are backcasting through early CPE data to extend trend analyses. Colorado Pikeminnow Colorado Pikeminnow PVA Retrospective Analysis, Colorado River Subbasin

• Inflection in abundance driven by changes in offspring production and Age-0 to Age-3 mortality, beginning four years before observed inflection (1995) • Offspring: 115  58 Mortality: 0-1: 0.69  0.74 1-2: 0.63  0.67 2-3: 0.56  0.60 Razorback Sucker – Making a Comeback! Bonytail Information and Education