FLOOD10327

• County: Eagle
• Community: Eagle
• Stream Name: Eagle River
• Title: Eagle River Watershed Plan
• Date: 1/1/1996
• Prepared For: Eagle Community and Eagle County
• Prepared By: National Park Service
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Flood Mitigation/Flood Warning/Watershed Restoration

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aquatic environment and to the needs and
rights of the adjacent private land owners.

Most of the land adjacent to the Eagle River is
privately owned. On the River and the tribu-
taries, public access generally occurs where
there is adjacent public land. On private
lands, public access for recreation use of the
River and its tributaries has been granted
through some private developments but in
other cases, public access has been eliminat-
ed or impaired by development or by the
increase in use of what used to be access
points that were always private but allowed
some use until it become a problem because
of overuse or abuse. Improving existing
access sites, or creating new ones where pos-
sible is intended to reduce the amount of
,
trespass incidents in addition to generally dis-
persing use.

Recreation Use Statistics

The BLM monitors river floater user days
each year between Minturn and Gypsum, and
the statistics below help illustrate one aspect
of the tremendous recreation growth on the
Eagle River. The figures in the following table
illustrate the commercial recreation use of

the Eagle River by permitted fishing and raft-
ing companies and as well as private use
(which is harder to determine accurately).
These figures clearly show that recreation use
of the Eagle River has increased dramatically
in recent years.

Economic Impacts of Eagle
River Watershed Recreation

The economic impact of rafting in the com-
munity can be estimated using the results of
a 1991 survey done by the Colorado River
Outfitters Association (CROA). The study esti-
mates $168 was spent on average by each
person per raft day. This number includes the
secondary economic impact of rafting such as
lodging, transportation, clothing, and dining
costs. Using the above figures, this means
approximately $1,300,000 spent by people
rafting on the Eagle River in 1991 during the
approximate six week long rafting season.
Rafting revenues statewide have been grow-
ing at an average 12.7% per year and activity
on the Eagle River seems to be testimony to
that growth as it is among the eight most
popular commercial river runs in the state.

Similarly, the CD OW estimated sportsman
expenditures on fish-
ing in 1991 statewide
to be $920,411,800 and
it is accurate to
assume that a portion
of those dollars must
have been spent in
Eagle County. A 1989
CD OW study titled
Colorado Wildlife
Impact Model estimat-
ed direct fishing
expenditures in Eagle
County of $7,642,000.
This figure does not
reflect secondary
expenditures. Current
or complete figures for

Table 4. Recreation Use Statistics

* 1994 was a "low water" year, 1993 was a "high water" year.

Year

Permitted
Commercial
Outfitters

Commercial
Use

1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994*

7
10
11
13
14
19
25

2,945
3,453
7,951
11 ,388
8,734
15,255
7,182

Private
Use

Total
Use

440
520
1,190
1,710
1,310
2,290
1,100

3,385
3,973
9,131
13,098
10,044
1 7,545
8,282

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