09-27-2006, 01:02 AM
I lived in Richfield from 1973 to 1984 and fished the Sevier from just below Otter Creek almost to Delta a LOT. The fish kill below Piute happens to some extent every year. We lose a few game fish & a lot of trash fish every time. If you wanna see something sickening go there in a drought year when they have completely drained the reservoir. When they shut the river off, the stench of rotting fish makes the river too putrid for my stomach to retain its contents and it will stink like that halfway to marysvale.
There have been discussions on purchasing a conservation pool in the reservoir itself to protect the fishery but I think the outcome is & likely will always be the same. That water is the lifeblood of all the farmers from Piute clear to Gunnison and they sure can't give it up without some pretty serious compensation.
I'm aware that there are other streams flowing into the Sevier valley between Piute & Gunnison, can name them all & have fished them but the west side of the valley is totally dependent on the Sevier.
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There have been discussions on purchasing a conservation pool in the reservoir itself to protect the fishery but I think the outcome is & likely will always be the same. That water is the lifeblood of all the farmers from Piute clear to Gunnison and they sure can't give it up without some pretty serious compensation.
I'm aware that there are other streams flowing into the Sevier valley between Piute & Gunnison, can name them all & have fished them but the west side of the valley is totally dependent on the Sevier.
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