Laserfiche WebLink
1.1.1 Issues of Historical Significance <br />The Alamosa River watershed has been sixgnificantly impacted by human activity. Primary sources of <br />impact include the following: <br />Straightening of parts of the river downstream of Terrace Reservoir to improve channel capacity and <br />sediment transport has damaged the natural function of riparian corridors; affected habitat, vegetation <br />and groundwater levels; and reduced the effectiveness of irrigation diversions. <br />• Contamination of surface and ground water by runoff from the Summitville mine site <br />and other mining activities has damaged or eliminated aquatic habitat in stream reaches <br />below the mine area and impacted downstream water users. <br />• Over-appropriation of surface flows has dried up portions of the stream channel during <br />parts of the year. <br />• Over-use of riparian areas for agriculture and ranching has adversely impacted wildlife <br />and aquatic habitat. <br />• Reduced flows and poor water quality have impacted the recreation value of the <br />watershed resources. <br />In addition, several natural conditions also affect watershed resources. These include: <br />Naturally high sediment loads from the upper watershed lead to high levels of suspended sediment and <br />sediment deposition in Terrace Reservoir <br />Naturally high acidity and toxic metals in runoff from portions of the upper watershed situated in <br />hydrothermally altered geologic formations contribute to downstream water quality problems. <br />Past and recent projects have made efforts to improve the condition of the watershed. An Alamosa <br />River Restoration Project to stabilize the channel between Gunbarrel Road and County Road 10 is <br />currently under construction. Cleanup activities to reduce impacts from mining activities were initiated <br />in the 1990's. A number of interested parties have formed stakeholder groups to improve the <br />organization of restoration efforts. <br />1.2 Master Plan Purpose and Needs <br />The Alamosa River ~Xlatershed Restoration Master Plan and Environmental Assessment (Master Plan) <br />covers the entire Alamosa River watershed. It uses a multi-objective approach to make <br />recommendations for watershed improvements. General 1Vlaster Plan objectives as identified by local, <br />state and federal stakeholders are: <br />• River and watershed health <br />• Protection of resources <br />• Restoration of impacted natural resources <br />• Bio-diversity <br />• Resource services to the public <br />Alamosa River Watershed Restoration Master Plan and Environmental Assessment Page 1-3 <br />