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March 2006 RCCD Upper Yampa Beier Burfn Implementation Plan • 5
<br />~U.S. Forest Service (USFS), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), State Land Board, Colorado
<br />Division of Wildlife (CDO`~, and Colorado State Parks and Outdoor Recreation. There are three
<br />. national forests in Routt County. These include the Arapaho National Forest, with 5,406 acres in
<br />Routt County, the Routt National Forest, with 572,805 acres of land in Routt County, and the White
<br />River National Forest, with 6,128 acres of land in Routt County. The Bureau of Land Management
<br />(BLM) manages 79,902 acres in the county. T'he State Land Board, CDOW and State Parks own
<br />approximately 71,070 acres.
<br />i'vlajor population centers in Routt County include the City of Steamboat Springs and the Towns of
<br />Hayden, Oak Creek, and Yampa. According to the 2000 census data, the permanent population of
<br />:EZoutt County in 2000 was 19,690, an increase of 39.8% since 1990. Peak population during ski
<br />season has been estimated at almost tw7ce the permanent population (Routt County Government,
<br />1995 -from 1996 NWCCOG Plan). The average number of visitors to the Steamboat area is
<br />325,000 in the winter and 230,000 in the summer. The permanent population in the county in 2003
<br />was approximately 20,800.
<br />'The major land uses in the watershed include livestock grazing, timber harvesting, farming, mineral
<br />production, residential use, and recreational use. The primary land use is for livestock grazing. Cattle
<br />;end sheep generally summer on ranges on the higher and more remote federally owned lands and
<br />winter on ranges on lower and more accessible private lands. In recent years, some land use has
<br />changed from grazing to mineral production or residential use. In the Steamboat Springs area,
<br />mountain forest and rangeland have beers developed into recreational homesites due to the popularity
<br />of skiing in the area.
<br />"I'he economic base in the watershed has traditionally been agriculture, primarily dominated by cattle
<br />• and sheep ranching. Crop production includes wheat, oats, barley, rye, hay, and potatoes. In the early
<br />1960s, mining was the most important economic activity in northwestern Colorado according to the
<br />Soil Conservation Service (SCS, 1966). Routt County is currently Colorado's leading coal producing
<br />county. Increasingly, recreational activities such as skiing, hunting, camping, and rafting have
<br />stimulated the local economy. Timber harvesting and, in recent years, coal and petroleum production
<br />have also contributed to the local economy.
<br />Tourism is currently the largest econonuc sector in Routt County, with 66.9% of the population
<br />working in tourism-related professions. Other substantial employment sectors include coal mining
<br />and regional and government jobs.
<br />2.3 11VATER RESOURCES SUMMARY
<br />The Yampa river headwaters originate in the high alpine forests of the Flat Tops Wilderness Area.
<br />The natural quality of the water is high,, with mountain headwaters generally extremely high. The
<br />upper basin has relatively pristine water quality typical of high-elevation cold-water trout streams and
<br />portions of the headwaters have been designated as "Outstanding ~~'aters" of the State. There are,
<br />however, water quality concerns in the basin and lower elevation water bodies in the more grid
<br />regions have experienced impacts from naturally occurring salts and accelerated sedimentation. Large
<br />portions of the basin are federally owned lands, with livestock grazing and recreation as predominant
<br />land uses. Steamboat Springs, a destination ski resort, is likely to continue to experience population
<br />growth for years to come. Routt County has experienced more than a 35% population growth in the
<br />past 10 years. Significant coal and oil shale reserves are located in the Yampa watershed and the
<br />potential for additional energy resource development may represent a major water quality issue in the
<br />future (WQCD, 2000).
<br />• The \~/QCD 305(b) Report (2000) indicated that no water bodies or stream segments in the Yampa
<br />basin were found to be rn non-attainment of the assrgned standards. \~liile no segments m the basin
<br />RCCll +~ !-f7S Piur Grrur Ruud. Sui[r 20/.4 •Slrrun/ni<r! Spriuy.r, CD BYO-f87 + (970) 37J- i22i
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