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<br />-k.. <br /> <br />- <br /> <br />. <br /> <br /> <br />United States Department of the Interior <br /> <br />IN REPLY REFER TO: <br /> <br />BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT <br />Colorado State Office <br />2850 Y oungfield Street <br />Lakewood, Colorado 80215-7076 <br /> <br />CO-932 <br />7250 <br /> <br />Mr. Dan Merriman <br />Colorado Water Conservation Board <br />1313 Sherman Street, Room 721 <br />Denver, Colorado 80203 <br /> <br />Dear Mr. Merriman: <br /> <br />The Bureau of Land Management CBLM) is writing this letter to formally <br />communicate its instream flow recommendation for Specie Creek. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Specie Creek drains the north side of Little Cone and is tributary to the San <br />Miguel River near Placerville. Fishery surveys have revealed that the stream <br />environment supports a self-sustaining population of rainbow trout. Our data <br />analysis, coordinated with the Division of Wildlife, indicates that the <br />following flows are required to protect the fishery and natural environment to <br />a reasonable degree: <br /> <br />4.25 cfs is needed to meet all three instream flow criteria and is <br />therefore recommended for the high temperature period from April 1 <br />through October 31. This recommendation is driven by the 1.0 <br />foot/second average velocity criteria. <br /> <br />1.5 cfs is needed to meet two instream flow criteria and is therefore <br />recommended to protect the over-wintering fish population from November <br />1 through March 31. This recommendation is driven by the 0.2 foot <br />average depth criteria. <br /> <br />This recommendation is important to BLM because the San Miguel River watershed <br />is experiencing rapidly increasing recreational use, and Species Creek <br />provides a recreational fishery to help meet that demand. Further flow <br />depletions may impair the creek's ability to provide the recreational <br />opportunity because the very steep gradient of the stream limits fish habitat. <br /> <br />BLM requests that the board recognize that this recommendation is based only <br />on the minimum flows necessary to support the cold water fishery resource. In <br />the future, BLM may work with the board and/or through the Colorado water <br />rights system to secure instream flows to protect additional resource values. <br /> <br />Original data sheets, R2Cross output, fish surveys, and photographs of the <br />cross sections are enclosed to support this recommendation. We thank both the <br />Division of Wildlife and the Water Conservation Board for their cooperation in <br /> <br />. <br />