TPWD 1957 F-5-R-4 #279: Basic Survey and Inventory of Species Present and Their Distribution in the Upper Colorado River of Texas

Report of Fisheries Investigations Basic Survey and Inventory of Species Present and Their Distribution in the Upper Colorado River of Texas by Lawrence Campbell Project Leader Dingell-Johnson Project F-S-Bnh, Job 3-12 May 1, 1956 through April 16, 1957 H. D. Dodgen w Executive Secretary Texas Game and Fish Commission Austin, Texas Marion Toole Kenneth C. Jurgens & William H. Brown Coordinator Assistant Coordinators JOb Completion Report State of TEXAS Project No. F—fi-Rwh Name; Fisheries Investigations and Surveys of the waters of Region 3wB. Job No. B-l2 Title: Basic Survey and Inventory of Species Present and Their Distribution in the Upper Colorado River of Texas. Period Covered: May 1, 1256 through April 162 1957 ABSTRACT: The Upper Colorado River was found to be dependent upon run—off for its source of water; was dominated by undesirable species; is not utilized by the public for fishing and is extremely low in actual production of game fish, although the potential is resecnably high. No recommendation is made for immediate management; however, if public waters should be benefited at a later date it is recommended that management practices be employed at that time. JBJECTIVES: To gather fundamental data on the above waters in regard to their physical, chemical and biological aspects. To determine the distribution of fish species present, their relative abundance and the ecological factors influencing their distribution. COOPERATING AGENCIES: Texas Board of Water Engineers United States Geological Survey Upper Colorado River municipal water District Central Colorado River Authority PROCEDURE: A. Basic Survey Standard procedures were employed to secure the information necessary to comm plete stream survey forms similar to those given by Lagler in his HANDBOOK OF FRESHWATER FISHERY BIOLOGY. B. Inventory of Species Thirty-three permanent seining stations were established to obtain adequate ‘ampling of the fishery populations as to their distribution and relative abundance. 1. Because of the stream conditions it was impossible to establish exact seining stations in those portions of the watershed above Ballinger, Texas, however, sixtym eight seining collections were obtained from that portion of the watershed and from portions of the Concho River not included in the North and South Concho River surveys. Bag seines were used where practical, however, eight foot nylon common sense seines were the type found to be most adaptable to stream conditions and were the type most from quently employed. 2. Four gill net stations were established and twelve net collections were obtained. Experimental nets 125 feet long by 8 feet deep, and in 25 foot sections of varying mesh were used. Mesh ranges were from éwinch to 3minch, increasing at % inch intervals, and each were 25 foot in length. 3. Water analyses, pH, air and water temperatures, and other data pertaining to water quality and conditions were recorded at appropriate intervals of the stream area worked. h. Where field identification was in doubt individuals were preserved in 10% formalin and examined in the laboratory. 5. The portions of the Upper Colorado River System to be included in this survey are as follows: a. All contributing watershed from the upper origins of the river system in Andrews, Gaines, Dawson and Martin counties to and including the confluence with the San Saba River in San Saba County. b. Exceptingg those portions of the Concho Rivers above the Tom Green County line (these waters were surveyed and reported on in Jobs Awl, Bel, Am2, and Bw2)5“the San Saba River (inventory work on that stream was done by personnel from Region TmB, Project Fw9mRmh). FINDINGS: 0f the above described contributing area of about 20,700 square miles, the river above Ballinger and that portion of the Concho River between the Tom Green County line and the confluence represent about sixtyeeight percent of the total watershed surveyed. The stream in that area is usually intermittent except where low water dams are fed by sufficient quantities of seepage to stabilize, on a partial basis, stream flow for a limited area below their location. Stream flow resulting from runeoff, virtually all significant discharge, is controlled primarily by Lake J. B. Thomas, a 220,000 acre foot capacity reservoir and Colorado City Lake on Morgan Creek that has a total capacity of 30,900 acre feet. The Concho Rivers are controlled by San Angelo Reservoir and by Lake Nasworthy, whose combined capacity is about 350,000 acre feet. Lake Brownwood, a reservoir having a flood control capacity in excess of l85,b00 acre feet; Boards Creek Reservoir, with 25,310 acre feet storage; Oak Creek Reservoir, with 56,000 acre feet capacity, and a number of other lesser reservoirs control and regulate the stream flow for the remaining portions of the watershed. In all there are sixtymeight known reservoirs that have storage capacities greater than ten acre feet and owned by public and private concerns on the watershed. The named reservoirs are discussed under other jobs. For convenience in discussion, the contributing watershed is divided into stream areas that because of the variation in their physical, chemical and biological aspects differ significantly. The more detailed data on hydrology and water quality is included in the tables that follow and the exact locations of the various stations worked are liste ed under appropiate areas. Area 1 through 5 m the contributing watershed above Lake 5. R. Thomas. This portion of the watershed consists of intermittent pools within the river bed. There are no springs, and the only permanent pools are created by low water dams. Normally there is no stream flow and the only discharges are a result of runwoff. The water above Lake J. B. Thomas and that impounded is comparatively pure, having a chloride content from 26 to 120 ppm and a total hardness of from 88 to 122 ppm. It was for this reason that the chosen dam site was selected. Maximum dissolved carbon dioxide recorded in this portion of the stream was 16 ppm; minimum oxygen content determined was 7 ppm; and pH was from 8.h to 8.6. Maximum turbidity was 11 inches. Excepting bulrushes at the mouth of the lake, no aquatic vegetation is in this area. Area 6 through 8 w from oneefourth mile below Lake J. B. Thomas dam to a point on the river about three miles below Silver, Texas. The stream is highly saline in page and percolative action of groundmwater discharges into the stream. The area is usually clear, excepting rare periods of brief duration when runwoff occurs, and cone centrations of parrot feather, Myriophyllum EEr: saw grass, Zizaniopsis‘ip. and muskgrass, Chara_§pg are in dense localities. Total chlorides recorded were from M20 to 5,000 ppm, total hardness from h28 to 1,500 ppm; minimum recorded dissolved oxygen was 6 ppm; maximum carbon dioxide determined was 15 ppm, and pH was from 8.h to 8.9. The remaining portions of the Colorado River worked, from three miles below Silver to Ballinger, were intermittent pools dependent entirely upon runmoff, except for a stream area of about ten miles that passes through the J. S. Hall Ranch and terminates when it enters gravel deposits about two miles west of Robert Lee, Texas. That section of stream had semiepermanent flow as a result of groundwwater movements that were a rem sult of a particular geological condition that is unusual for this part of the Upper Colorado River system. Gravel deposits collected seepage and where these deposits term minated in bedrock the goundawater that was collected was forced upward to the surface by pressure resulting from the build up. The result was surface flow over the bedrock formation. Water quality for that portion of the stream was only slightly saline with recorded chlorides from 12 ppm to 32 ppm. Exact total hardness is not known, but is considered to be less than the previously described stream areas. The water had no rem cordable turbidity except following runeoff, the minimum dissolved oxygen content was ll ppm, there was no recordable carbon dioxide, and pH was from 7.8 to 8.2. Only bulw rushes were found in this area. Area 9 through 12 w the Concho River from the Tom Green County line to its confluence is a series of pools and riffles with semiwpermanent stream flow as a result of geological conditions similar to those described above. The principal difference between this area and the Upper Colorado River above Rebert Lee and below Silver is the greater con» centrations and deposits of silt in many pools created by low water dams on the Concho System. Water quality for the lower Concho is superior to much of the Colorado; chrolide content is usually about 71 ppm and total hardness about 250 ppm. No oxygen difficiencies were recorded, ranging from 8 to 10 ppm, and carbon dioxide records were from 5 to 12 ppm. The water is normally turbid with readings averaging about ll inches and pH is from 8.2 to 8.6. From a fisheries standpoint the Upper Colorado River System may be regarded as a vast network of intermittent to semimpermanent flow streams, containing in its 20,700 square miles of contributing watershed an extreme complexity of geological formations and soils, having great flexibility and variation in its water quality and quantity because it is controlled entirely by an unreliable and fluctuating source of supply me 'that of ground water and runwoff resulting from rainfall. FISH POPULATIONS: A- Relative Absadaase.0f.s- cecies a The following charts include the data obtained by the previously described methods of sampling and are not intended to provide other than general information pretaining to the distribution of species. Specific diam tribution will be discussed later under the annotated checklist for species identified. To obtain the following data, 26,38h individuals of 12 families and #3 species were examined. Sampling Locations on the Upper Colorado River Area No. l w Andrews County (above Lake J. B. Thomas) Shafter Lake Whalen Lake Salt Lake Area Area Area Area Area Area Monument Draw Seminole Draw 15 small lakes in Mabee Oil Field No. 2 e Gaines County McKinzee Lake No. 3 a Dawson County Welch Oil Field Spraberry Oil Field Gold Creek McKenzee Draw Sulphur Lake Sulphur Draw No. R a Martin County Mustang Creek No. 5 a Borden County Gail Buford Spade Smith Ranch Mouth of river in Lake J. B. Thomas Mouth of Bull Creek No. 6 m Scurry County Bridge on Highway 50 {3 miles south of Ira) No. 7 a Mitchell County 2 miles East of Cutberth Below dam of Colorado City Lake Bridges in Colorado City Bridge crossing Farm Road lOl on Harris Ranch (18 miles south of Colorado City) Area No. 8 a Coke County Jameson Oil Field (3 miles south of Silver) % mile above mouth of Panther Draw (15 miles west of Robert Lee on Tubbs Ranch) 1 mile above mouth of Yellow Wolf Creek (1 mile below Army Dam site on Harris Ranch) Mouth of Yellow Wolf Creek (8 miles above Rebert Lee on Harris Ranch) 1 mile above mouth of Salt Creek on Hale Ranch Area around bridge on Robert Lee~Sterling City highway Area around bridge on Robert LeemSan Angelo highway 1 mile southeeast of Rebert Lee on San Angelo highway Mouth of Macy Creek (16 miles southmeast of Robert lee in Wendland Oil Field) Bronte Oil Field (h stream miles northmwest of Bronte) BrontewSan Angelo highway bridge % stream miles southmeast of BrontemSan Angelo highway bridge Area No. 9 w Runnells County . Maverick Crossing (8 miles southmeast of Bronte) Brookshire Crossing (2 miles south of Maverickaallinger highway) Mouth of Mesquite Creek (5 miles south of Ballingeeraverick highway on Smith Ranch) Herring Ranch (17 stream miles northnwest of Ballinger) ' Eagan Ranch (lhé stream miles west of Ballinger) Kuhn's Dam (ll miles west of Ballinger off Kristoff School Road) 200 yds. below mouth of Quarry Creek on Forgey Farm at irrigation pump (8 miles west of Ballinger) . Gravel pit 50 yds. north of Brookshire School road (3% stream miles west of Ballinger) Mouth of Sand Branch (2 stream miles west of Ballinger) BallingereSan Angelo highway bridge Elm Creek in City Park in Ballinger M stream miles southmeast of Ballinger é~mile below mouth of Bear‘s Foot Creek 100 yds. below oil field crossing at end of pavement on McKinley Ranch (lb stream miles southeeast of Ballinger) Crossing of farm road on Bethel School road (21 stream miles below Ballinger) Area No. 10 m Concho County Tony Rasalie Ranch (1% miles below mouth of Concho River) Low water crossing on Hefner Ranch % mile below Rosalie Ranch Area No. ll a Coleman County Mouth of Grape Creek (lé-miles south of Leaday) Chaffin Crossing on Cooper Farm (3 miles west of Highway 283) Mouth of Bull Creek on Linsley Farm (6 miles west of Highway 283) Area No. 12 a McCulloch County Elm Creek on Bradley Ranch Sampling Locations on the Principal Tributaries Jim Ned Creek Head Horde Creek Below Horde Creek Dam Lake Santana Lake Sealey Pecan Bayou 2 miles east of Oplin Burkett Crossing Cross Plains highway crossing Byrdis Store on Ranch Road 589 Wrightis Ranch below Brownwood Dam City Park in Brownwood Month 1955 OctOber November December 195.6 January February March April May June July August September OctOber November December 1957 January February Marchr '- April May June July August September Drainage area is h,082 square miles of which 2 contributing. The average discharge for a 11 year period is 54,080 acreTfeet per year. Maximum Discharge c.f.s. l3h0. 0mm CDE>C)C>E>C:c>c>c>c>o\ox 273. 1980. 228. 102. 27. 1800. 20. A330. 9560. 35u0. 96.0 OOOOED h3.0 Minimum Discharge c.f.s. GOO GOO OOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOO-F‘ OOOFMOOWO OOOONOONI’D Average Discharge c.f.s. OOO l—‘OO +e\o ougxocorere ODO\FJCDUJC) nursinCDCJa n3oas4c>c> \O l-‘. hJCDUJ Q-F'W _ oiovoxncnnanim3c> .ounlecocncqcchox Number of Days no Flow 30 25 31 29 18 27 30 30 20 10 17 Percent of Time no Flow Runmoff in Acre Feet 5750 1000 315 77 196 39 5500 123 19750 6hu10 12210 556 386 21h ,590 square miles are probably none Hydrology and Fluctuation of Flow Data for the Concho River of the Upper Colorado River System at Paint Rock from October 1955 through September 1957. Maximum Minimum Average Number Percent Runwoff Month Discharge Discharge Discharge of Days of Time in Acre c.f.s. c.f.s. c.f.s. no Flow no Flow Feet 1955 October 30.0 0.1 3.9 6 28 238 November - - 0.3 O O 18 December — - 0.2 O O 12 1956 January '13.0 - 3.1 20 67 190 February 8.2 0.2 3.h 0 0 193 March 0.2 0.0 0.1 25 83 7 April 15.0 0.0 0.6 2h 80 37 May 2h60.0 3.5 212.0 0 o 130u0 June 9.u 0.0 1.6 18 60 97 July 8.2 0.0 0.8 2h 80 M9 August 281.0 0.0 13.8 20 67 850 September 75.0 0.0 5.8 10 33 3A6 Octdber 3560.0 0.h 170.0 0 0 10h70 November 17H.O 1.0 28.1 0 O 1670 December 20.0 0.2 3.u 0 0 210 1957 January 6.5 0.7 5.6 0 0 220 February 8.5 0.7 3.0 0 0 167 March 233.0 0.2 18.2 0 0 1120 April .32200.0 0.3 1695.0 0 0 100900 May 27800.0 52.0 A756.0 0 0 292u00 June 7h00.0 32.0 576.0 0 0 3h270 July 122.0 5.5 23.6 0 0 1u50 August 7.0 0.2 1.7 0 0 103 September 1050.0 0.2 6u.0 0 0 3810 Drainage area is 5538 square miles of which 275 square miles are pr0bab1y noncontributing. The average discharge for a ho year period is 157,800 acre feet per year.