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IN REPLY REFER TO. United States Department of the Interior BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT Colorado State Office 2850 Youngfield Street Lakewood, Colorado 80215-7093 www.co.blm.gov CO-932 7200 Mr. Dan Merriman Colorado Water Conservation Board 1313 Sherman Street, Room 721 Denver, Colorado 80203 ?S>~ 1)~C \ Yl Dear Mr. Merriman: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is writing this letter to formally communicate its instream flow recommendation for Green Creek, located in Water Division 2. Location and Land Status. The Green Creek watershed is located approximately 8 miles west of Salida. The stream reach which was surveyed begins at the confluence with an wmamed tributary to Green Creek and runs 6.3 miles downstream to the confluence with the South Fork of the Arkansas River. Approximately 92 percent of the reach is comprised of public lands, while the remaining 8 percent is in private ownership. Biological Summary. Fishery surveys indicate that the stream environment is presently in stable condition and supports a self-sustaining brown trout fishery. It is also possible Green Creek provides spawning and nursery habitat for the fish population in the South Fork Arkansas River. Substrate and cover are good for salmonids. This type of stream environment has steep gradients that typically limit the available pool habitat and food supply. Accordingly, it is important to provide stream flows that protect the limited amount of available habitat if the continued existence of the fishery is to be assured. RlCross Analysis. BLM's data analysis, coordinated with the Division of Wildlife, indicates that the following flows are required to protect the fishery and natural environment to a reasonable degree: . 3.90 cubic feet per second is recommended for the April 1 to October 31 high temperature period. This recommendation is driven by the wetted perimeter and velocity criteria. Meeting the wetted perimeter criteria is important for insuring that young-of-the-year fish have adequate physical habitat at the edges of the stream in slower waters, while meeting the velocity criteria insures that adult fish have good habitat conditions in deeper parts of the channel. . 1.90 cubic feet per second is recommended for the November 1 to March 31 low temperature period. Maintaining adequate velocity is important for maintaining ice-free rimes for fish passage during the icing period in the winter.