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e e . . . Summary The information contained in this report and the associated instream flow file folder forms the basis for staff s instream flow recommendation to be considered by the Board. It is staff s opinion that the information contained in this report is sufficient to support the [mdings required in Rule 5.40. 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 reasonable preservation of the natural environment" (see 37-92-102 (3) C.R.S.). The statute vests the CWCB with the exclusive authority to appropriate and acquire instream flow and natural lake level water rights. In order to encourage other entities to participate in Colorado's Instream Flow Program, the statute directs the CWCB to request instream flow recommendations from other state and federal agencies. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) recommended this segment of Red Dirt Creek to the CWCB for inclusion into the Instream Flow Program. Red Dirt Creek is being considered for inclusion into the Instrea:n Flow Program because it has a natural environment that can be preserved to a reasonable degree with an instream flow water right. The BLM is very interested in protecting stream flows because BLM has made significant progress in improving riparian and stream conditions in Red Dirt Creek, thereby expanding the fish population. Red Dirt Creek is a tributary of Rock Creek and is approximately 6.0 miles long. It begins at outlet of Grimes Brook Reservoir at approximately 9400 feet and terminates at the confluence with Rock Creek at an elevation of approximately 6,800 feet. Of the 2.3 mile segment addressed by this report, approximately 40% of the segment, or 0.9 miles, is located on federal lands, while the remainder of the segment, 1.4 miles, is located on private lands. The creek is located within Routt County. The total drainage area of the creek is approximately 11.6 square miles. Red Dirt Creek generally flows in a southeasterly direction. The subject of this report is a segment of Red Dili Creek begim1ing at State Highway 131 and extending downstream to the confluence with Rock Creek. This segment is located north of McCoy. The staff has received only one recommendation for this segment, from the Bureau of Land Management. The recommendation for this segment is discussed below. Instream Flow Recommendati1on(s) BLM recommended 1.75 cfs, summer and winter based on its September 18, 1995, data collection effort (see Appendix A). The modeling results from this survey effort are within the confidence interval produced by the R2Cross model. Land Status Review Total Length Land Ownership Upper Tenninus Lower Terminu:3 (miles) % Private % Public State Highway 131 Rock Creek 2.3 60% 40% Approximately 40% of the reach is located on federal lands managed by the BLM. - 2 -