TPWD 1956 F-5-R-3 #210: Basic Survey and Inventory of Species Present and their Distribution in the Upper Colorado River of Texas

. ‘ JOB COMPLETION REPORT TATE OF TEXAS Project No. F§R3 Name Fisheries Investigations and.Survexs of the waters of Region 3~B. JOb No. B-12 Title Basic Survex and Inventorz of Species Present and their Distribu- tion in the Upper Colorado River of Texas. Period Covered: Max 12 1225'-.Max l, 1226 _______i____i_ia_.i__i__i_i__________mii___ ABSTRACT l. About sixty-eight percent of the 20,700 square miles of watershed were included in sampling during 1955 - 56. - 2. Of the above four stream areas were found to differ significantly in their physical, chemical and biological aspects. Area 1, the contributing watershed above Lake J. B. Thomas was entirely dependent upon run-off and was intermittent pools. Area 2; the stream from below Thomas Dam to a point three miles below Silver, Texas, was highly saline in nature because of natural salt deposits. Area 3; the stream from the point below Silver to Ballinger was intermittent pool association except for a ten.mile semi- permenant flow area located almost entirely on the J. S. Hall ranch two miles west of Robert Lee, Texas. .Area 4; the Concho River below Tom Green County Line to the confluence was intermittent pool and semi-permanent flow association. 3. One hundred and two man days work on the various aspects of this job resulted in capture of u,85o individuals of thirty—two species and twelve families. Confirmation 3 necessary on a number of individuals taken to establish identity. OBJECTIVES 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. COOPERATIEQ AQENQIEE Texas Board of Water Engineers United States Geological Survey Upper Colorado River Municipal Water District PR - ' m Basic Survey By standard.procedures to secure the information necessary to complete stream survey forms similar to thoseggrnnlby Lagler in his HANDBOOK OF FRESHWATER FISHERY BIOLOGY. b. -Inventory of Species To set up seining stations as may be deemed necessary to adequate sampling 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 siitymeight seining collections were obtained from that portion of the watershed and from.portions of I .F..'|. , 4"".— l . l I 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 frequently employed. 2. Four gill net stations were established and six net collections were obtained. Experimental nets 125 feet long by 8 feet deep, and in 25 feet sections of varying mesh were used. Mesh ranges were from % inch to 3 inch increasing at % inCh intervals each 25 feet in length. 3. water analysis, pH, air and water temperatures, and other data pretaining to water quality and conditions were recorded at appropriate intervals of the stream area worked. 4. 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 Babs River in San Saba County. b. Excepting; those portions of the Concho Rivers above the Tom Green County line (these waters were surveyed and reported on in Jobs Ael, B-l, A-2, and B~2)3 the San Saba River (inventory work on‘that stream is being done by personnel from Region TmB, Project F-9~R-h); and Pecan Bayou and it‘s tributaries, as that inventory is to be done at future date in conjunction with future work. FINDINGS 0f the above described contributing area of about 20,700 square miles only the river above Ballinger and that portion of the Concho River between Tom Green County line and the confluence were worked during 1955 - 1956. This represents about sixty-eight percent of the total watershed to be surveyed. The stream in that area is usually intern mittent except where low water dams are fed by sufficient quanitites of seepage to stab» alize, on a partial basis, stream flow for a limited area below their location. Stream flow resulting from runuoff, virtually all significant discharge, is controlled primarily by Lake J. B. Thomas, a 310,000 acre feet 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. The named reservoirs are discussed under other jobs. For convenience in discussion; the area covered is divided into stream areas that because of the variation in their physical, chemical and biological sepects differ significantly. Area 1. The contributing watershed above Lake J. B. Thomas. This portion of the watershed is intermittent pools within the riverbed; there are no springs, and the only permanent pools are created by low water dams. Normally there is no stream flowwand 'the only discharges are a result of run-off. The water above Lake J. B._Thomas and that impounded is comparatively pure having 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 protion of the stream was l6 ppm, minimum oxygen content determined was 7 ppm, and pH was from 8.h to 8.6. Maximum turbidity was ll inches. Excepting bullrushes at the mouth of the lake, no aquatic vegetation is in this area. Area 2. From one-fourth 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 nature as a result of eXposures of halite and alkali formations. In addition to the quantities of these materials introduced by the erosive action of stream flow; great quantities of these native salts are induced into the streambed as a result of the seepage and percolative action of ground-water discharges into the stream. The area is usually clear, excepting rare periods of brief duration when runmoff occurs, and concentrations of parrot feather, Myriophyllum_§p., saw grass, Zizanio sis “p. and muskgrass, Chara EB" are in localities. Total chlorides recorded were from E20 to 5,000 ppm; total hardness from #28 to 1,500 ppm, minimum recorded dissolved oxygen was 6 ppm, maximum.carbon dioxide determined was 15 ppm, and pH was from 8.1; to 8.9. Area 3. The remaining portions of the Colorado River worked, from three miles below Silver to Ballinger, were intermittent pools dependent entirely upon rune off; 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 semi—permanent flow as a result of groundwwater movements that were a result 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 terminated in bedrock the groundwwater 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 l2 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 recordable turbidity except following runwoff, the minimum dissolved oxygen content was 11 ppm, there was no recordable carbon dioxide, and pH was from 7.8 to 8.2. Only bullrushes were found in this area. Area h. The Concho River from the Tom Green County line to it“s confluence is a series of pools and riffles with semiupermenant stream flow as a result of goon logical conditions similar to those described above. The principal difference between this area and the Upper Colorado River above Robert Lee and below Silver is the greater concentrations 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. piss POPULATIORS During the l955~56 period 152 men days work on the various aspects of this job resulted in sixtyweight coining collections and four gill net collections being obtained. An.estimated e,850 individuals representing thirtymtwo species, and twelve families were captured. In addition to the identified species a number of individual fish captured are not identified, or identification has not been confirmed. To prevent necessary corrections if these should.be incurred, information on these specimens is withheld at this time; however this data will be included in future reports. To prevent duplicaw tion of the erpense involved in publication the remaining data taken during 1955m56 is not included; however in submitting the final completion report for this job, charts and suitable distribution maps will be included with the necessary statistical data. The following is a check list of the species collected during the year. h. Checklist of Species for the Upper Colorado River. Common Name Family Name Scientific Name Longnose gar Leppsosteidae Lepisosteus osseus Gizzard shad Clupeidae Dorosoma'cepedianum Banded Tetra Caraoidae_ ., Astyanax fasciatus Smallmouth buffalo Catastomidaefi Ictiobus bubalus River carpsucker Catastomidae: Cagpiodes carpio Gray redhorse sucker Catastomidae beostoma congestum Carp Cyprinidae Cyprinus cagpig_ Golden shiner Cyprinidae Notemigonus crysoleucas Plains Shiner Cyprinidae NOtroEis percobromus Spottail Shiner Cyprinidae fl; venustus Redhorse shiner Cyprinidae §;_lutrensis Mhmic Shiner Cyprinidae fi,_yollucellus Roundnose minnow Cyprinidae Dionda episcopa Plains minnow 'Cyprinidae , Hypognathus placita Parrot minnow _ Cyprinidae Pimephales vigilax Stoneroller Cyprinidae _. Campostoma pp. Yellowbullhead Ameiuridae Ictalurus natalis Flathead catfish. Ameiuridae Pyiodictus olivaris Plains killifish Cyprinodontidae Cyprinodon gansae Mosquitofish Poeciliidae Gambusia §E° White bass Serranidae Roccus chEySOps_ Largemouth bass Centrarchidae MicroEterus salmoides Spotted bass Centrarchidae NficnOEterus pp, warmouth bass Centrarchidae Chaenob tus coronarius Green sunfish Centrarchidae Lepgmis cyanellus Spotted sunfish Centrarchidae L;_punctatus Bluegill Centrarchidae l:_macrochirus Redear sunfish Centrarchidae . L:_megalotis Yellowbelly sunfish CentrarChidae L;_anritus White crappie Centrarchidae Pomoxis annularis Logperch Percidae Percina caprodes Freshwater drum. Sciaenidae Aplodinotus granniens Approved by EEEW M Prepared by __. .- L. .H ‘_ . Project Leader Chief Aquatic Biologist Date A ril l 1957