Publications (WR) Water Resources 10-1968 Biological studies of selected reaches and tributaries of the Colorado River Nelson Thomas Federal Water Pollution Control Administration Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/water_pubs Part of the Aquaculture and Fisheries Commons, Environmental Chemistry Commons, Environmental Health and Protection Commons, Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment Commons, Environmental Microbiology and Microbial Ecology Commons, Environmental Monitoring Commons, Fresh Water Studies Commons, Natural Resources and Conservation Commons, Sustainability Commons, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons, and the Water Resource Management Commons Repository Citation Thomas, N., Federal Water Pollution Control Administration (1968). Biological studies of selected reaches and tributaries of the Colorado River. 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J',iH< K'i' ' vftJfS: DEPARTMENT OF TiHE*INTER »OLLUTION CONTROL ADMINISTRATION ADVISORY AND INVESTIGATIONS BRANCH I, OHIO PREPARED IN COOPERATION WITH THE COLORADO RIVER BASIN WATER QUALITY CONTROL PROJECT DENVER , COLORADO OCTOBER, 1968 BUREAU Of RECLAMATION DENVER U8KARY A Report on BIOLOGICAL STUDIES OF SELECTED REACHES AND TRIBUTARIES OF THE COLORADO RIVER ' 01 . , . DATE DUE JJL 5 997 - I Department of the Interior LOTION CONTROL ADMINISTRATION ry and Investigations Branch acinnati, Ohio in Cooperation With lin Water Quality Control Project rrer, Colorado 1968 PRINTED IN USA. GAYLOHD Page Foreword Till Participants . ..... • • • ••;,•,* * • ......... ix , . ... •. •>!..••"•; ;i >>•('" T.W.A C.';;K).O:V- , Conclusions . » • .,.,.rs. .,,., . ,«,. ........... 1 : i' fh • .• . !/"..' ' ' 1 . ..'ii '. • General . .............. 1 Specific Streams » . 2 Summary, Degradation of Specific Streams 10 Background Information . 12 Long-Range Goal and Objectives 12 Introduction Ik General lU Bottom Organisms Ik Methods 16 Algal Studies 17 Fish 17 Chemical Methods 17 Discussion of Stream Surveys 19 ,.!.<:.•"'. .. ' •.-;.: •;•"• ';; ••.•>'..','if.v-J it-w •; *:-'•! .ii^^sv' Tenmile^toeelci-Goloradb"'^^' . *P •&.:-<X^- . :C;^.Wt v$.vv& .'. 19 '•.*ae-;£? ;'••..• .><-, • v-:i" '.••'.! , -,-.. j •/;• ' ;,^oV.'.; •„*• Eagle River, Colorado rii'. ,'1.' i'>v 23 Roaring Fork River, Colorado^ . 29 , '. ,."' !'..'', •. .'. "' j:,"' 'i .«'•> ' ;'.'V - ,•• •• i •jiV^flJ, '. „,' .'' Colorado River, Colorado-Utah .... .... 32 Slate River, Colorado ..... 38 Gunnison River, Colorado UO CONTENTS (Con't.) Page Cimarron River, Colorado 51 Uncompahgre River and Red Mountain Creek, Ouray-Delta, Colorado 56 Upper Dolores River, Colorado 6? Lower Dolores and San Miguel Rivers, Colorado 72 Price River, Utah 80 San Juan River, Colorado-New Mexico-Utah 85 Colorado River from Pierce Canyon, Utah, to the Mexican Border . 102 Pierce Canyon to Lake Mead ......... 102 Virgin River 105 Muddy River 107 Las Vegas Wash 108 Lake Mead 110 Havasu Lake Ill Colorado River, Parker Dam to r Parker, Arizona ........ ..... ... Ill Colorado River.Indian Reservation .... 113 Palo Verde Irrigation System . .... ... ... 115 Imperial Dam to Laguna Dam 117 I'. .**''' : ' ' "' : t . Yuma, Arizona, to Morelos Dam ... ;,..... ... .•••:<••' . 117 ii FIGURE INDEX Figure Page 1 Ten Mile Creek - Number of Bottom Organisms Per Square Foot, October 1966 21 2 Ten Mile Creek - Number of Kinds of Bottom Organisms, October 1966 . • 22 3 Eagle River - Number of Bottom Organisms Per Square Foot, October 1966 25 1* Eagle River - Number of Kinds of Bottom Organisms, October 1966 « 26 5 Roaring Fork - Number of Bottom Organisms Per Square Foot, October 1966 30 6 Roaring Fork • Number of Kinds of Bottom Organisms, October 1966 ........ 31 7 Study Area - Colorado River System 33 8 Colorado - Number of Bottom Organisms, JtOy - August 1966 . 3!* 9 Colorado - Number of Kinds of Bottom Organisms, July - August 1966 35 10 Slate River - Number of Kinds and Number per Square Foot of Bottom*"1''' " -•;•,••• * Organisms, October 1966 . i-". v 39 11 Study Area - Gunnison River System Survey ... • U2 12 • Gunnison River - Number of Bottom' Organisms Per Square Foot, July 1966 k$ . .......-: fS, -;vvJ < •• -• - •; - >•;• 13 Gunnison River - Number of Kinds of Bottom Organisms, July 1966 !-i" :;'M.: V < ;ii .' . lU North Fork Gunnison - Number of Bottom Organisms Per Square Foot, July - August 1966 . 1*5 15 North Fork Gunnison - Number of Kinds of Bottom Organisms, July - August 1966 k6 iii FIGURE IHDEX (Con't.) Figure Page 16 Gunnison River, Delta-Grand Junction - Number of Bottom Organisms Per Square Foot .................. 1*8 17 Gunnison River, Delta-Grand Junction - Number of Kinds of Bottom Organisms ...... ^9 18 Cimarron River, Bottom Fauna Data - Number of Bottom Organisms Per Square Foot, October 1966 ........... 53 19 Cimarron River, Bottom Fauna Data - - Number of Kinds, October 1966 ...... ... 5U 20 Uncompahgre River, Number of Bottom Organisms Per Square Foot, July - August 1966 .... .-•>., 60 21 Uncompahgre River, Number, of Kinds of Bottom Organisms, July - August 1966 ...... -. 6l 22 Dolores River, Bottom Fauna Data - Number Per Square Foot, October 1966 ......... •. 69 23 Dolores River, Bottom Fauna Data - Number of Kinds, October 1966 . ... .... .• . 70 2U San Miguel, Howard's. Fork and Dolores -Rivers - • c, Numbers of .Bottom Organisms Per Square •• ...>•<>-?.. Foot, October 1966 .............. 7k 25 San Miguel, Howard's Fork and Dolores Rivers - Numbers of Kinds of Bottom Organisms , . October 1966 . ................ 75 26 Study Area - Price River Survey ......... 8l 27 Price River - Number Per Square Foot of Bottom Organisms, July - August 1966 ..... 83 28 Price River - Number of Kinds of Bottom Organisms, July - August 1966 ......... 8k iv FIGURE INDEX. (Con't.) Figure Page 29 Study Area - San Juan River System Survey .... 86 30 Study Area - Animas River Survey ........ 8? 31 Study Area - McElmo Creek Survey ........ 88 32 San Juan River - Number of Bottom Organisms Per Square Foot, July- August 1966 ...... 89 33 San Juan River - Number of Kinds of Bottom 1 Organisms, July - August 1966 ........ 90 3^ Animas River - Number of Organisms Per ' \' Square Foot, July 1966 . .......... $k 35 Animas River - Number of Bottom -OrganisiM !• : I Per Square Yard . .. .\. 96 36 Animas River - Number of Kinds 'of Bottom :: Organisms, July 1966 . .'. ... ';• 98 37 McElmo Creek - Number of Bottom Organisms , ;; Per .Square Foot, July 1966 . .^:."TV . 100 38 McElmo Creek -•Number.vof Kinds- of Bottom*." . «^;j : ;;>.>' Organisms, July'1966 ^ Siwn?.*';rt .T.-.t.ti?*-.''^ ;r;?cj:ir/r 101 i=; . ,. .... A , -: <:•*• : .v.^-1 39 Study Area - Upfper Survey ............ 165 • >,'.:V..." ..••»1- "i. .i ':. <it. .VK' , d' •'"£..*'':'. I • ;t';\^,' . U: ' ho Study Area - Lower Survey . v V1^ .-;. ^;>. .^^n>' 166 TABLE INDEX Table 1 Tenmile Creek Sampling Stations 121 2 Tenmile Creek Bottom Fauna and Chemical Data, October 1966 122 3 Eagle River Sampling Stations 123 U Eagle River Bottom Fauna and Chemical Data, October 1966 125 5 Roaring Fork Sampling Stations ... 127 6 Roaring Fork Bottom Fauna and Chemical Data, October 1966 128 7 Colorado River Sampling Stations ........ 129 8 Colorado River Grand Junction - Moab Bottom Fauna Data, July - August 1966 ... 130 9 Slate River Sampling Stations . ..... v ' 131 10 Slate River Bottom Fauna •.and ^ - >.-.<•' < Chemical Data, October 1966 132 ,.. ;. '-••'-'";.' ''•;/-• 0 ,. <ei/.; ' -•!'; ' " >"'•".'. ?.?«'"••• i •'-'-: 11 Gunnison River Sampling Stations 133 •:•..;: ., '•.•,:, , H',^ •• .'•• •" 'v -<:'• ';' ''. ' ••'•'•''•• 12 Gunnison River Bottom Fauna Data, July - August 1966..-.-. .- . .; . -. /• 13U , . •; 3>. J \i'..~ • ..'..-' •'••.- •:-:- • 13' Colorado and Gunnison River Fishery Data, July>1966;v* o.r ...7* .%•>-:.. v . ;;:.•* "r 136 .;. ' ,.: • y& ~''j~' *:..:.'' •• '.'-..'.; , •- .. i'T, . .. •. lif Cimarron River Sampling Stations *>..' . ." . .! . ; ' 137 15 Cimarron River Chemical and Bottom Fauna Data, October 1966 138 16 Uncompahgre River Sampling Stations 139 17 Uncompahgre River Bottom Fauna Data, July - August 1966 vi TABIE IKDEX (Con't.) Table P*g« 18 I hi 19 1 hp 20 Dolores River Bottom Fauna and Chemical 21 Lower Dolores and San Miguel Rivera 1 hh 22 Dolores and San Miguel Bottom Organisms *i li'7 23 150 21* Price River Bottom Organism Data, August 1966 . 151 25 152 V ' '• * .•'.;• • 26 San Juan River Bottom Organism Data, 155 27 157 28 Animaa River Bottom Fauna Data, July 1966 . ... 158 29 McElmo Creek Bottom Fauna Data, July 1966 .... 160 • » ' *' r • -:- < '!*".!!• '• . „< i ' J r ' '"' '*. *"' ' ' ;"'*.. .' ' ' v 30 ,c. Colorado River from -Pierce Canyon to the - Mexican Border Santoling Stations 161 31 , Colorado River - Pierce Canyon to the Mexican , * -.?> >•" Border, April 11-22, 1966 - Bottom Organism,