2022 Upper Colorado Area Report

Authors: Dave Speas

Year: 2022

Abstract

Drought in the Upper Colorado River Basin persisted in 2022, although river conditions in some areas were not as severe as the preceding year. Drought response releases from upstream reservoirs (Flaming Gorge, Aspinall Unit, Navajo) aimed at maintaining elevations in Lake Powell above critical operating levels were conducted for the second year in a row, with releases from Flaming Gorge Dam also supporting three flow experiments designed to benefit endangered fish. Research on eroding sediments with declining lake levels at the Colorado River inflow to Lake Powell revealed potential for emergence of pre-dam rapids and perhaps waterfalls. In Colorado, research on use of tributaries to the Gunnison and Colorado rivers by threatened and endangered fish continued, and aquaculture students at the Palisade High School Fish Hatchery released their second cohort of campus-reared razorback sucker into the Colorado River. In Utah, efforts to restore base flows in the Price River continued to advance, and research on development and persistence of complex habitat in the San Rafael River revealed potential benefits for threatened and endangered fish. The passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in late 2021 brought with it funding for the Upper Colorado and San Juan River endangered fish recovery programs, including support for improved hatchery resources, non-native fish screens, fish passages, wetland water control structures, and other projects. These stories and more will be covered in the 2022 Upper Colorado River Area Report.