Some of the raceways at the state fish hatchery have been shut down and thousands of fish stocked early in response to low flows in the Arkansas River. The Division of Wildlife scrambled this week to come up with a plan to keep a minimal amount of water in the Arkansas River below Pueblo Dam in order to save fish. Wildlife officials say cooperation helped, but a better solution is needed.
“There were some concerns from fishermen and Trout Unlimited about water temperature around Labor Day,” said Dan Prenzlow, southeastern regional manager for the DOW. “Here we are in a relatively good water year, seeing a drop in river levels.”
DOW purchased 1,000 acre-feet of water for $25,000 from Colorado Springs Utilities, but won’t begin releasing it until Saturday. In the meantime, State Parks continues to release water to keep flows up.
http://www.chieftain.com/news/local/article_d7fb9198-c7a9-11df-8bac-001cc4c002e0.html
