BOARD00085 ‎(2)‎

• Board Meeting Date: 11/14/2006
• Description: ISF Section - Injury with Mitigation - Case No. 5-04CW238, Application of S.G. Company
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

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Fisherie~ Standing Crop: 40-'88 lbs/acre comprised of six species (trout represented 65% of
biomass observed)
Biotic Condition Index for Macroinvertebrates: 91-102% of expected community quality
observed. (25-28 taxa present including mayflies, stoneflies and caddis flies)

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Utilizing this database, Queen of the River Consultants completed an Aquatic Resource and
Development Plan for 18,500'linear feet of Blue River frontage owned by S.G. Company (i.e. the
Blue River Fish Habitat Improvements) and design of 3.6 acres off channel oxbow
fisheries/waterfowl/wetland ponds (i.e. the Oxbow/Floodplain Fish Habitat Improvements). The
plan developed was submitted to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for permitting under Section 404
of the Clean Water Act. A significant part of this review included coordination and site review by
the Colorado Division of Wildlife ("CDOW") Habitat Section, CDOW Regional Fisheries
Biologists, and the CDOW Local Law Enforcement Section. The project received an individual 404
permit pursuant to the Clean Water Act for the Blue River Fish Habitat Improvements and a separate
nationwide 27 permit that authorized the Oxbow/Floodplain Fish Habitat hnprovements.
Construction of the Blue River Fish Habitat Improvements was completed in 2005 and a certificate
of completion has been filed with the US Army Corps of Engineers. Construction of the
Oxbow/Floodplain Fish Habitat hnprovements will be completed by Summer 2006. As a special
condition of both permits certain biological, photographic and physical channel monitoring is
required. Monitoring of fisheries, aquatic macroinvertebrates, the physical channel and fish habitat
ratings has been completed in 2002, 2003 and 2005. Additional monitoring is planned subsequent
to 2006.

Proiect Objectives:

The objective of the Blue River Fish Habitat Improvements and the Oxbow/Floodplain Fish Habitat
Improvements was to:

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preserve critical riffle areas for macro invertebrate production and fish spawning
increase instream fish holding capacity including critical period, bank and instream habitat
stabilize and rehabilitate eroding bank areas using native materials
increase pool frequency and quality
reduce width to depth ratios
to increase fish cover within each habitat type (pool, riffle, and run)
reconnect the river with its floodplain through rehabilitation of off channel oxbows

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The Blue River Fish Habitat Improvements used eight thousand boulders to install 172 structures
within this 3.5 mile reach. Structure installations included 85 instream habitat rock clusters, 21 bank
placed habitat rock clusters, 35-30degree upstream low rock groins, 16- J thalweg J hooks, 10 cross
channel W weirs, and 8 cross channel low rock thalweg vanes. Thalweg shaping of the entire
channel was used to connect each pool, riffle and run.

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