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Show ( 16) Upper Provo River Reservoirs Presently these 15 reservoirs contain hatchery supported populations of trout. The fishery potential of the reservoirs is restricted by severe annual drawdowns. Existing water rights dictate that towards the end of June when the Provo River recedes, the gates to the reservoirs are opened and water is removed throughout the summer. By fall most of the active storage is gone. This utilization pattern seriously restricts recreation use of these lakes and prevents the development of proper recreation facilities. c. Without the Unit Without the Unit, the trend toward deterioration of natural habitat in the Unit area can be expected to continue but at a slower rate. Since a specific plan for future development of the Unit area is not available, potential changes in the fishery resource, without the Unit, can only be mentioned in general terms. Native populations should continue to decline and there should be increased dependency upon hatchery stocks to support continually increasing angling pressure. If the available water is to be utilized, many of the streams involved in the proposed plan would be affected. Management problems with reservoirs would probably intensify as productivity stabilizes and undesirable species of fish proliferate. Stream ecosystems would continue to be particularly vulnerable as the need for utilization and diversion of water intensify. As the more remote areas of the State become readily accessible, presently undisturbed habitats would face the pressures of utilization. 8C Wildlife ac General The proposed Bonneville Unit area contains a wide range of wildlife habitat that supports an abundant and varied population of birds and animals„ The abundance of some species has declined since settlement in the mid- 1800rs. These decreases usually have resulted from over- exploitation, interference with critical ecological patterns and/ or reductions in quality and quantity of habitat. Generally, these consequences have been associated with the activities of man. A list covering the Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife's Salt Lake City River Basin Study Area contained in the 1968 publication Rare and Endangered Fish and Wildlife of the United States23 includes the following birds and 138 |
