19

• Board Meeting Date: 7/11/2007
• Description: ISF Section - Willow Creek and Beaver Creek New Appropriations in Moffat County
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

STATE OF COLORADO

Colorado Water Conservation Board

Department of N aturaI Resources
1313 Sherman Street, Room 721
Denver, Colorado 80203
Phone: [phone]
FAX: [phone]
V\1ww.cwcb.state.co. us

MEMORANDUM

Bill Ritter, Jr.
Governor

TO:

Colorado \Vater Conservation Board Members

Harris D. Sherman
Executive Director

FROM:

Jeff Baessler
Owen Williams

Rod Kuharich
CWCB Director

DATE:

June 29, 2007

Dan McAuliffe
Deputy Director

SUBJECT:

Agenda Item 19, July 11-12,2007 - Boal'd Meeting
Stream and Lake Protection - Willow Creek and Beavel' Cl'eek
New Appropriations in Moffat County

BACKGROUND

Staff has been working on the Willow Creek and Beaver Creek ISF recommendations for
over two years and is now bringing these recommendations forward so that the Board can
form its intent to appropriate and flle for new instream flow water rights on these streams in
2007. Willow Creek and Beaver Creek were originally recommended by the Bureau of
Land Management at the Board's February 16, 2005 ISF workshop. These
recommendations were subsequently officially noticed in November 2005. At the January
2006 Board Meeting, Willow Creek was withdrawn from consideration by the BLM and
staff in order to allow for additional data collection and coordination with Moffat County
during the 2006 field season. In addition, the Board tabled the Beaver Creek
recommendation until March 2006. At the Board's February 2006 workshop, Willow Creek
was once again recommended by the Bureau of Land Management. At its March 2006
meeting, the Board again tabled Beaver Creek to January 2007 to allow for additional
coordination with T. Wright Dickinson. Staff again noticed Beaver Creek in November
2006, and Willow Creek in March and November of 2006. Staff intended to bring both
recommendations back to the Board at its January 2007 meeting so that it could form its
intent to appropriate, but decided to delay until July 2007 at the request of both T. Wright
Dickinson for Beaver Creek and Moffat County for Willow Creek.

Staff has worked diligently since these appropriations were originally recommended and
noticed in 2005 to inform the public and work with stakeholders to address concerns. In
addition, numerous delays were granted to further enhance coordination and cooperation.
As a result of this coordination, staff is recommending the attached draft stipulation to the
Board to address the concerns of T . Wright Dickinson on Beaver Creek. Staff has also been
working with Moffat County to address concerns on Willow Creek. Documentation of
staff's notices, contacts and coordination efforts in this regard are currently being
summarized and will be available for review at the Board meeting. Moffat County has
indicated that it is primarily concerned regarding potential impacts that the proposed

Flood Protection. Water Supply Planning and Finance. Stream and Lake Protection
Water Supply Protection. Conservation and Drought Planning