Application of sediment characteristics and transport conditions to resource management in selected main-stem reaches of the Upper Colorado River, Colorado and Utah, 1965-2007

• DOI: 10.3133/sir20125195
• Publication Date: 2018-08-15T19:37:53Z
• Authors: Cory A. Williams; Keelin R. Schaffrath; John G. Elliott; Rodney J. Richards
• Keywords: Dam removal; Critical habitat

The Colorado River Basin provides habitat for 14 native fish, including 4 endangered species protected under the Federal Endangered Species Act of 1973. These fish once thrived in system, but water-resource development, building numerous diversion dams and several large reservoirs, introduction non-native resulted reductions numbers range four through loss stream function. Understanding how conditions change response to alterations streamflow is important water administrators wildlife managers can be determined from an understanding sediment transport. Characterization processes that are controlling transport first step identifying flow regimes needed restored channel morphology sustained recovery fishes within these river systems. U.S. Geological Survey, cooperation with Upper Fish Recovery Program, Bureau Reclamation, Wildlife Service, Argonne National Laboratory, Western Area Power Administration, Wyoming State Engineer's Office, began a study 2004 characterize at selected locations on Colorado, Gunnison, Green Rivers begin addressing gaps existing datasets conceptual models This report identifies characterizes relation between (magnitude timing) presents findings discussions (1) suspended-sediment transport, (2) incipient motion streambed material, (3) case sediment-transport reach identified as razorback sucker spawning (See full abstract).