ISFAPP01475

• Case Number: 05CW0050
• Stream Name: Deer Park Creek
• Water Division: 7
• Water District: 30
• County: San Juan
• Instream Flow App - Doc Type: Supplemental Data

Summary
The information contained in this report and the associated in stream flow file folder tlJrms the
basis for staff s in stream flow recommendation to be considered b~v the Board. It is staff s
opinion that the information contained in this report is sufficient to sJpport the findings required
in Rule 5.40. I

Colorado's Instream Flow Program was created in 1973 when the Colorado State Legislature
recognized "the need to correlate the activities of mankind with some I reasonable preservation of
the natural environment" (see 37-92-102 (3) C.R.S.). The statute...rests the CWCB with the
exclusive authority to appropriate and acquire instream flow and nal~lrallake level wate:r rights.
In order to encourage other entities to participate in Colorado's Instream Flow Program, the
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statute directs the CWCB to request instream flow recommendations from other state and federal
agencies. The Bureau of Land Management recommended this segment of Deer Park Creek to
the CWCB for inclusion into the Instream Flow Program. Deer par~ Creek is being considered
for inclusion into the Instream Flow Program because it has a naturdl environment that can be
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preserved to a reasonable degree with an instream flow water right. 1be BLM is very interested
in protecting stream flows because Deer Park Creek is one of the few creeks with sufficitmt
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water quality to support a salmonid fishery in this historic mining district. Many other streams in
this district are contaminated with heavy metals.

Deer Park Creek is 3.6 miles long. It begins near Whitehead Peak and the Continental Divide at
an elevation of approximately 12,800 feet. It terminates at the confluence with the Animas River
at an elevation of approximately 9,100 feet. Approximately 10.0% (0.136 miles is private - the
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remainder is BLM) of the 3.6-mile segment addressed by this report is Ilocated on federal lands.
Deer Park Creek is located within San Juan County. The total drainagt:: area of the creek is
approximately 3.7 square miles. Deer Park Creek geuerally flows in a resterlY direction.

The subject of this report is a segment of Deer Park Creek beginning at the headwaters and
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extending downstream to the confluence with the Animas River. jThe proposed segment is
located southeast of the Town of Silverton. The staff has received only one recommendation for
this segment, from the BLM. The recommendation for this segment is idiscussed below.

Instream Flow Recommendation(s)

BLM recommended 2.0 cfs (May 1 to October 31), and 1.0 cfs (November 1 to April 30) (see
Appendix A). The modeling results from these survey efforts are withiJn the confidence interval[
produced by the R2Cross model.

Land Status Review

Upper Terminus
Headwaters

Lower Terminus
Confluence with
Animas River

Total Length
(miles)

3.6

jLand Ownership j
% Priivate % Public

10.9% 90,()%

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