11 ‎(2)‎

• Board Meeting Date: 11/18/2007
• Description: ISF Section - Contested Instream flow Appropriation Hearing - Badger Creek
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
COLORADO STATE OFFICE
2850 YOUNGFIELD STREET
LAKEWOOD, COLORADO 80215-7093
In Reply Refer To:
7250 {CO-932)
'~T 3 ~ ;
Ms. Linda Bassi
Colorado Water Conservation Board
1313 Sherman Street, Seventh Floor
Denver, Colorado 80203
Dear Ms. Bassi:
You have verbally requested a letter from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM}
further explaining its scientific rationale for proposing an enlargement of the instream
flow water right on Badger Creek, located in Water Division 2. The BLM's original
recommendation letter to the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) was sent in
December 2006, and the CWCB declared its intent to appropriate the recommended
enlargement at its January 2007 regular board meeting. This letter does not address the
scientific foundation behind the R2Cross methodology and the (CWCB) application of it,
because BLM believes that those discussions are best conducted between the Colorado
Division of Wildlife and the CWCB. Rather, this letter addresses the potential effects in
the stream of relying upon the current instream flow water right of 3 cfs year-round.
BLM was motivated to evaluate the current instream flow water right on Badger Creek
because of BLM's significant investments in this watershed during the last 20 years.
These investments have included:
• Purchase of almost 800 acres within the creek corridor to improve public access
and facilitate better range and riparian management;
• Installation of new fences and modification of grazing plans to improve riparian
conditions along the creek;
• Tamarisk control efforts;
• Motorized vehicle closures in high erosion areas;
• Studies to identify locations and control measures for landscape features that
produce high sediment loads to the creek and thereby reduce aquatic productivity;
• A partnership with USGS to install and operate a stream gage to verify flow and
water quality conditions in the watershed;