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<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 />5 i. <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) recommended this segment of the North <br />Fork of the Smith Fork to the CWCB for inclusion into the Instream Flow Program. The North <br />Fork of the Smith Fork is being considered for inclusion into the Instream Flow Program because <br />it has a natural environment that can be preserved to a reasonable degree with an instream flow <br />water right. <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 (I). 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 North Fork of the Smith Fork is approximately 9.4 miles long. It begins on the west side of <br />Sheep Mountain at an elevation of approximately 11150 feet and terminates at the confluence <br />with the South Fork of the Smith Fork at an elevation of approximately 7580 feet. Of the 9.4 <br />mile segment addressed by this report, approximately 100% of the segment, or 9.4 miles, is <br />located on public lands, while the remainder of the segment, 0 miles, is located on private lands. <br />North Fork of the Smith Fork is located within Gunnison County. The total drainage area of the <br />river is approximately 21 square miles. The North Fork of the Smith Fork generally flows in a <br />westerly direction. <br /> <br />The subject of this report is a segment of the North Fork of the Smith Fork beginning at its <br />headwaters and extending downstream to the confluence with the South Fork of the Smith Fork. <br />The proposed segment is located east of the Town of Crawford. The staff has received one <br />recommendation for this segment from the CDOW. The recommendation for this segment is <br />discussed below. <br /> <br />Instream Flow Recommendation(s) <br /> <br />The CDOW has recommended 6.8 cfs, summer, and 3.5 cfs, winter, based on their data <br />collection efforts (see Table 1 and Appendix A). The modeling results from this survey effort <br />are within the confidence interval produced by the R2CROSS model. <br /> <br />- 2- <br />