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The historic Hanging Flume sits precariously above the Lower Dolores River near Uravan. After seven years, the Dolores River Dialogue has come up with?“A Way Forward.” The plan hopes to aid in the recovery of three imperiled native fish and should return more regular flows to the often dewatered river./Photo by Steve Eginoire
Daylight for the Dolores
Dolores River Dialogue finds ‘A Way Forward’
by Will Sands
The roundtail chub may be swimming to the rescue of the Lower Dolores River. After seven years at the table, the Dolores River Dialogue has found “A Way Forward.” The collaborative effort is rallying around threats to native fish and developing a plan that could aid in the recovery of three species and bring regular flows back to the dry river.
The roundtail chub may be swimming to the rescue of the Lower Dolores River. After seven years at the table, the Dolores River Dialogue has found “A Way Forward.” The collaborative effort is rallying around threats to native fish and developing a plan that could aid in the recovery of three species and bring regular flows back to the dry river.
Flows on the Lower Dolores have been stunted since the final stone was placed in the dam at McPhee Reservoir in the early 1980s. While local agriculture has been enhanced by the reservoir, the character of the Dolores River Canyon has been greatly impacted. Flows have been especially sporadic, with spring run-off as high as 3,000 cubic feet per second above the reservoir and trickling at a mere 40 cfs below the dam. Boaters are not the only ones who have suffered from this situation. Absence of water has taken a huge toll on wildlife.
However, the Lower Dolores is beginning to come back into balance. A broad-based effort has been working since 2004 to send more water downstream, and agencies, conservationists, ranchers, farmers and irrigators have all taken part in an effort called the Dolores River Dialogue. In recent years, three species of native fish – the roundtail chub, the flannelmouth sucker and the bluehead sucker – have drawn the Dialogue’s attention. The group recently outlined a plan known as “A Way Forward,” which would help restore native fish, protect the Dolores River Canyon and return a regular regimen of flows to the river.
Plight of the chub and suckers
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“We’ve found common ground on the issue of native fish restoration,” said Marsha Porter-Norton, facilitator of the Dolores River Dialogue. “The conservation community would like to protect the species, and irrigators and other interests would prefer a community-based solution over a federal mandate. There is concern that the fish could be listed as endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and that would trigger basinwide consequences.”
The solution to the plight of native fish and many of the Dolores River’s woes is restoring flows that mimic the natural hydrograph. Phaedra Budy, associate professor at Utah State University, noted that the Dolores has not experienced any large flow events since the construction of the dam, and occasional flows of 7,000-10,000 cfs are needed to keep the riverbed healthy. She added that in order to facilitate native fish recovery, dam managers must mimic historic flows and historic peaks.
Natural temperatures will also be key to the recovery of the fish. Currently, water4 releases for the Lower Dolores come from deep within in the reservoir and are often frigid. However, the native fish depend on warmer water for successful spawning, meaning that creative spill management must come into play.
“The scientists all agree that more water and regular spills are essential to the recovery effort,” Porter-Norton said. “But the timing of when water is released is equally important. Water temperature is critical to bringing the natives back to a point where they can persist in the river.”
To that end, “A Way Forward” is pursuing “doable alternatives” for the Lower Dolores, including the possibility of a revised management plan for McPhee Reservoir. “A Way Forward” could also serve as a stepping stone to legislation that would make the Dolores River Canyon a National Conservation Area. Though the Dolores was once earmarked as a candidate for Wild and Scenic River status, the Dialogue believes that an NCA is more attainable and a better fit for the various users of the river.
“Creating a National Conservation Area would protect the same values that made the Dolores a candidate for Wild and Scenic status, but it would do it in a way that works for the local community and honors the agricultural use of the river,” explained Amber Kelley, San Juan Citizens Alliance’s Lower Dolores coordinator.
In the meantime, the Dolores River Dialogue is pushing for flows that more accurately mimic the historic hydrograph as early as the spring of 2012.
“To help protect the native fish, we’re all going to have to make some compromises,” said Porter-Norton. “And we’re going to have to take a long view, look beyond a few years and try to mimic natural flows.”
Above all, the Dolores River Dialogue has marked a significant milepost, and a solution for the dilemmas faced by the Lower Dolores River is finally coming into sight. Porter-Norton said that the Four Corners community should see progress on the river in the near future.
“This has become an area of high focus, and people are motivated,” Porter-Norton said. “Irrigators, conservationists and recreationists are all motivated to find a solution for the Dolores. I think we’re all very excited about where things are headed.”
Kelley shares Porter-Norton’s enthusiasm. “We’ve got doable alternatives, and we know how they fit together,” she said. “There’s already positive momentum that’s translating into action on the ground. There’s still work to do, but we’re getting out there and doing it.”