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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~ Chapter 1

~ Infrodudion

PROFILE OF THE
EAGLE RIVER WATERSHED

The Eagle River watershed covers a .drainage
area of approximately 970 square mIles and
has an average annual water flow of 415,000
acre feet. Elevations in the watershed range
from 6,100 feet at Dotsero to 14,003 at the
summit of Mount of the Holy Cross.

The Eagle River originates near the south-
eastern border of Eagle County at Tennessee
Pass and flows northwest and then west for
about 77 miles to its confluence with the
Colorado River at Dotsero, 6 miles west of
Gypsum.

Homestake, Cross, Gore, Brush and Gypsum
Creeks are the largest of the hundreds of
Eagle River tributary streams. There are
approximately 120 natural lakes and 8 reser-
voirs in the watershed. The Eagle River
watershed provides water supply for the
majority of Eagle County's population and to
several front range communities.

Approximately 98% of the watershed land.
area is located in Eagle County. The remam-
ing 2% is located in Pitkin County in the
Homestake Reservoir area. Approximately
75% percent of the land in the watershed is
public land managed by the U.S. Forest
Service and Bureau of Land Management.

PURPOSE AND USE OF
THE EAGLE RIVER
WATERSHED PLAN

The purpose of the Eagle River Watershed
Plan is to outline a collaborative, local philos-
ophy for protecting and improving water
quantity, water quality, wildlife habitat ~nd
recreational opportunities, and promotmg
compatible land use practices.

This plan is a source of information and a state-
ment of cooperative direction that is meant to
be useful to the general public and local gov-
ernmental entities for setting priorities and
planning projects, and in making decisions
regarding the future of the Eagle River water-
shed. Many of the Plan recommendations are
dependent on educational efforts by the local
governments and agencies to promote volun-
tary actions and improved awareness.

This Plan is not a regulatory document. The
Plan does include recommendations for
possible policy and/or regulatory revision
related to the rivers and creeks. Generally,
implementation of all regulatory recommen-
dations and suggestions, such as river and
creek buffers, will be up to the discretion of
each jurisdiction and will require tailoring to
meet the needs of each entity. Proper regula-
tory adoption procedures will also need to
followed.

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