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<br /> <br />Summary <br />The information contained in this report and the associated instream flow file folder forms the <br />basis for the instream flow recommendation to be considered by the Board. It is staff's opinion <br />that the information contained in this report is sufficient to support the findings required in Rule <br />5i. <br /> <br />Colorado's Instream Flow Program was created in 1973 when the Colorado State Legislature <br />recognized "the need to correlate the activities of mankind with some reasonable preservation of <br />the natural environment" (see 37-92-102 (3) C.R.S.). The statute vests the CWCB with the <br />exclusive authority to appropriate and acquire instream flow and natural lake level water rights. <br />In order to encourage other entities to participate in Colorado's Instream Flow Program, the <br />statute directs the CWCB to request instream flow recommendations from other state and federal <br />agencies. The Colorado Division of Wildlife (CDOW) and the San Miguel County <br />Commissioners (SMCC) recommended this segment of the San Miguel River for an instream <br />flow enlargement. The CWCB currently holds an in stream flow water right for 6.5 cfs year- <br />round (Case No. 4-84CW427). <br /> <br />The CDOW is forwarding this stream flow recommendation to the CWCB to meet the State of <br />Colorado's policy "... that the wildlife and their environment are to be protected, preserved, <br />enhanced, and managed for the use, benefit, and enjoyment of the people of this state and its <br />visitors... and that, to carry out such program and policy, there shall be a continuous operation <br />of planning, acquisition, and development of wildlife habitats and facilities for wildlife-related <br />opportunities" C.R.S. 33-1-101 (1). The CDOW Strategic Plan states "Healthy aquatic <br />environments are essential to maintain healthy and viable fisheries, and critical for self- <br />sustaining populations. The Division desires to protect and enhance the quality and quantity of <br />aquatic habitats." <br /> <br />The San Miguel River is approximately 81 miles long. It begins at the confluence of Bridal Veil <br />and Ingram Creeks at an elevation of approximately 9170 feet and terminates at the confluence <br />with the Dolores River at an elevation of approximately 4840 feet. Of the 6.4-mile segment <br />addressed by this report, approximately 23% of the segment, 1.5-miles, is located on public <br />lands, while the remainder of the segment, 4.9 miles, is located on private lands. The San <br />Miguel River is located within San Miguel and Montrose Counties. The total drainage area of <br />this segment of the San Miguel River is approximately 49.8 square miles. The San Miguel River <br />generally flows in a northwesterly direction. <br /> <br />The subject of this report is a segment of the San Miguel River beginning at the confluence with <br />Bear Creek and extending downstream to the confluence with the South Fork of the San Miguel <br />River. The proposed segment is located near the Town of Telluride. The staff has received one <br />recommendation for this segment from the CD OW. The recommendation for this segment is <br />discussed below. <br /> <br />Instream Flow Recommendation(s) <br /> <br />The CDOW has recommended 4 cfs, summer flow enlargement, based on their data collection <br />efforts (see Table 1 and Appendix A). The modeling results from this survey effort are within <br />the confidence interval produced by the R2CROSS model. <br /> <br />-2- <br /> <br />"- <br /> <br />