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August 2000 CRWCD * Yampa Ricer Basin Small Rm wir Study - Phase 2 Report * Page ? 31 along the creek bottom. Average stream width is 6 to 10 feet. Bottom substrate is composed primarily of gravel and small to large cobbles. Brook trout were observed in the stream, and this site was judged to provide potentially suitable habitat for other trout species. The South Fork 1 site is near the lower elevation limit for boreal toad, but few areas of suitable shallow, still water breeding habitat were observed along the stream. The South Fork 1 site is above the upper elevation distribution limit for the Ute ladies'-tresses orchid. ' 4.1.3.4 South Fork 2 Reservoir Site (Site 36) General The South Fork 2 site is located north of Craig in the Fortification Creek drainage basin, as indicated in Figure 6, Field Rewnnaissar w Sites in floe Lowe- Yx" River Swdy Area. It is accessed via Colorado Highway 13 and County Road 40 or County Road 11. The site is located off County Road 40 or County Road 11 via a private road. It is approximately 1 mile east of the South Fork 1 site. The dam ' would be located at an elevation of approximately 7,400 feet, as shown in Figure 13, Somb Fork 2 Reserwir Site. The property is privately owned with land use being primarily agricultural/ranching in nature. A ' reservoir at this site could potentially serve several downstream agricultural users on South Fork Fortification Creek and Fortification Creek. At the public meeting held in Craig on June 6, 2000, a participant expressed interest in the development of this site. ' As discussed previously, most of the South Fork Fortification Creek streamflow occurs as spring snowmelt runoff and by mid- to late summer, the stream is often dry. As with the South Fork 1 site, capture and storage of early season runoff at South Fork 2 would provide needed water during the typically dry late summer season. While flow data are not currently available on South Fork Fortification Creek, flow records from Fortification Creek near Craig indicate that the overall basin yield is in the neighborhood of 8,500 acre-feet per year and 250 acre-feet per square mile. The South Fork 2 site is located along a tributary stream, but could be augmented via a feeder canal from South Fork Fortification Creek. Based on overall basin yields, yield at the reservoir site (including the potential feeder ditches or canals) is estimated at 1,650 acre-feet per year. Flow to this reservoir could ' also be supplemented by an additional canal from the North Fork of Fortification Creek. During the site visit on June 20, South Fork Fortification Creek was flowing. Minimal flow was noted ' in the tributary, though some areas of previous erosion/undercutting were observed. The potential reservoir site would inundate a meadow of non-native grasses, including smooth brome. Physical Characteristics /Dam Siting South Fork 2 would dam a small tributary to the South Fork of Fortification Creek approximately 2 miles above its confluence with North Fork Fortification Creek and approximately 4 miles southeast ' of Colorado Highway 13. A dam approximately 80 feet high at this location would impound water over an area of 54 acres and store approximately 1,700 acre feet of water. Embankment volume is estimated at 298,000 cubic yards. To supplement the water storage capacity of the South Fork #2 ' reservoir, a short supply ditch or pipeline could be constructed from the main stem of South Fork Fortification Creek. The South Fork 2 site is located on the Wasatch Formation, and the area inundated by the reservoir would include a small alluvial valley. There do not appear to be any outstanding geotechnical issues at this site. MonWnery Watm * P.O Box 774018 * SWw;I at Sprvtgs, Colorado 80477 *(970) 879-6260 ' WIM0351Ph¢2 ReMT 08/)0/0opf