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FISH and WATERSHED COMMITTEE REPORT in SUPPORT of the ISSUANCE of an INCIDENTAL TAKE PERMIT UNDER SECTION 10(A)(1)(B) of the ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT

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FISH and WATERSHED COMMITTEE REPORT in SUPPORT of the ISSUANCE of an INCIDENTAL TAKE PERMIT UNDER SECTION 10(A)(1)(B) of the ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT FISH AND WATERSHED COMMITTEE REPORT IN SUPPORT OF THE ISSUANCE OF AN INCIDENTAL TAKE PERMIT UNDER SECTION 10(a)(1)(B) OF THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT HORSESHOE AND BARTLETT RESERVOIRS VERDE RIVER, ARIZONA Prepared by⎯ Charles Paradzick – Salt River Project Ruth Valencia – Salt River Project Ronald Beane – ERO Resources Corporation Debra Bills – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Jeff Servoss - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Bill Werner –Arizona Department of Water Resources Dave Weedman – Arizona Game and Fish Department March 2006 CONTENTS 1.0 Introduction................................................................................................................1 2.0 Action Area................................................................................................................ 2 2.1. Description of the Action Area.......................................................................6 2.1.1. Geology............................................................................................6 2.1.2. Climate.............................................................................................7 2.1.3. Hydrology ........................................................................................7 2.1.4. Land Use..........................................................................................8 2.1.5. Tributaries........................................................................................8 3.0 Environmental Baseline........................................................................................... 16 3.1. Current Native and Non-native Fish Distribution in the Action Area..........16 3.1.1. Fish Community Composition by Reach.......................................19 3.1.2. Verde River Tributaries – Fish Community Assemblage..............22 3.2. Native Fish Community................................................................................28 3.2.1. Colorado Pikeminnow – Federally Listed as Endangered, Experimental Nonessential Population..........................................28 3.2.2. Razorback Sucker - Federally Listed as Endangered with Critical Habitat...............................................................................29 3.2.3. Desert Sucker – No Status .............................................................33 3.2.4. Sonora Sucker – No Status ............................................................34 3.2.5. Roundtail Chub - No Status ...........................................................35 3.2.6. Longfin Dace – No Status..............................................................37 3.2.7. Spikedace - Federally Listed as Threatened with proposed Critical Habitat...............................................................................38 3.2.8. Loach Minnow - Federally Listed as Threatened ..........................40 3.2.9. Gila Topminnow - Federally Listed as Endangered ......................42 3.2.10. Speckled Dace - Unlisted...............................................................43 3.3. Non-native Fish Species...............................................................................44 3.3.1. Largemouth Bass...........................................................................47 3.3.2. Bluegill...........................................................................................48 3.3.3. Channel Catfish..............................................................................49 3.3.4. Flathead Catfish.............................................................................51 3.3.5. Carp................................................................................................52 3.3.6. Green Sunfish.................................................................................53 3.3.7. Red Shiner......................................................................................55 3.3.8. Smallmouth Bass ...........................................................................56 3.3.9. Black Crappie.................................................................................57 3.3.10. Rainbow Trout...............................................................................58 3.3.11. Yellow Bullhead............................................................................60 3.3.12. Mosquitofish ..................................................................................61 3.3.13. Threadfin Shad...............................................................................62 3.3.14. Tilapia ............................................................................................63 3.4. Reservoir Management Impacts on Fish Populations...................................64 3.5. Historical and Current Fish Stocking............................................................72 i P:\2300 projects\2346 Verde ESA\Fish Committee\Reports\Fish and Watershed Report 10 March 2006.doc 3.5.1. Sportfish Stocking..........................................................................72 3.5.2. Live Bait Fish Use and Transport ..................................................76 3.5.3. Fish Transport by the Public..........................................................77 3.6. Hydrology, Geomorphology, and Dam Operations......................................77 3.6.1. Hydrological Data..........................................................................77 3.6.2. Period of Record ............................................................................78 3.6.3. Minimum Flow ..............................................................................80 3.6.4. Changes in Flows...........................................................................81 3.6.5. Flood Flows...................................................................................84 3.6.6. Fluvial Geomorphology.................................................................85 3.6.7. Reservoir Operations .....................................................................87 3.7. Other Factors Impacting Species/Critical Habitat within the Action Area...............................................................................................................88 3.7.1. Grazing...........................................................................................90 3.7.2. Water Quality.................................................................................92 3.7.3. Summary of Factors Impacting Aquatic Species and Habitat by Reach............................................................................93 4.0 Descriptions of Reservoir Operation Alternatives and Impact Analysis Methods 110 4.1. No Permit Alternative.................................................................................112 4.2. Historical Operation Alternative.................................................................113 4.3. Modified Full Operation Alternative ..........................................................117 4.4. Optimum Operation Alternative (Proposed Action)...................................119 4.5. Method of Impact Analysis.........................................................................124 4.5.1. Native Fish Impacts Approach.....................................................124 4.6. Habitat Equivalency Analysis Approach....................................................126 5.0 Estimate of Adverse Impacts ................................................................................. 130 5.1. Impacts of the No Permit Alternative .........................................................132 5.2. Impacts of the Historical Operation Alternative.........................................132 5.3. Impacts of Modified Full Reservoir Operation...........................................133 5.4. Impacts of Optimum Operation Alternative ...............................................134 6.0 Recommended Mitigation Strategies and Adaptive Management......................... 135 6.1. Purpose........................................................................................................135 6.2. Introduction.................................................................................................136 6.3. Methods.......................................................................................................136 7.0 Mitigation Actions and Credits.............................................................................. 137 7.1. Mitigation Credit Matrix.............................................................................138 7.2. Proposed Minimization/Mitigation Measures.............................................139 7.2.1. Monitoring and Adaptive Management.......................................141 7.3. Management and Maintenance of Minimization and Mitigation Measures .....................................................................................................142 8.0 Literature Cited...................................................................................................... 147 ii TABLES Table 3-1. Native and non-native fish relative abundance in the Action Area (Verde River and selected tributaries). ..................................................................................18 Table 3-2. Fish species captured in Horseshoe in Reach 3, April 4-7, 2005....................21 Table 3-3. Native and non-native fish species documented in the East Verde River.......24 Table 3-4. Native and non-native fish species with extant populations in West Clear and Wet Beaver Creeks..............................................................................................26
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