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\ <br />Chapter 3- Affected Environment and Consequences <br />? (USDA Forest Service 1995). Table 3-8 shows the number of prescription watersheds on the <br />Forest. <br />Table 3-8. Number of Prescription Watershed by River Basin <br />:'°CoTorsdo-' , . T7 ?Yampa " a m ? Platte;M? <br />32 gg 43 <br />Source: GIS (DWRIS) <br />The existing condition of watersheds (watershed health) on the Forest varies depending upon <br />amount of disturbance found within each watershed and the degree of natural integrity of the <br />system. Disturbance in the form of land management activities, such as timber management, <br />road construction, livestock grazing, recreation, and special-uses, can adversely affect a <br />watershed's potential. <br />Past management activities have been concentcated in some watersheds more than others. <br />Watersheds which have been entered more frequently have a higher risk of reduced potential <br />due to the altering of natura( functions within the watershed. Tabte I-2 in Appendix t shows <br />levels of disturbance for each watershed and is used to assess watershed health risk. Activities <br />which account for disturbance include, but are not limited to, acres of timber harvest, acres of <br />roads, number of road/stream crossings, and miles of roads near streams. Other factors <br />included in the risk assessment are acres of inedium or high geohazard and acres of rangeland <br />or riparian areas in poor condition. <br />Surface Water <br />The Forest contains approximately 1,990 miles of stream channels. Of this total, 1,801 miles <br />are perennial and contain one or more species of fish. The Forest also has 201 <br />lakes/reservoirs, totalling 2,923 acres. Surface water on the Forest comes predominantly from <br />snowmelt runoff, yielding approximately 1.6 million acre-feet of water per year. This equates to <br />an average of 1.13 acre-feet per acre, which is higher than other forests in the Rocky Mountain <br />Region. Of this amount, approximately 80% flows either directly into the Colorado River system <br />or into tributaries to the Colorado River system. The remaining 20% flows into the North Ptatte <br />River, part of the Missouri River system. <br />Surface water quality - <br />Overall, water quality on the Forest is good, and all waters are designated by the state as <br />Aquatic Life-Cold Water, High Quality Class 1 or 2, and Recreation Class 1 or 2(Colorado <br />Water Quality Control Commission 1994). All but two communities within the geographic area of <br />the Forest utilize surface water for their municipal water supply. Communities utilizing surface <br />water are Craig, Kremmling. Hayden, Oak Creek, and Steamboat Springs. <br />Although surface water on the Forest is good overall, there are four stream reaches which are <br />on the State of Colorado Designated Use Impairment List (in the Colorado Nonpoint Assess- <br />ment Report 1994). The impairment of these streams is not considered drastic or creating <br />significant resource damage. The stream reaches are: <br />• Williams Fork River - 15.7 miles on Forest, south of Kremmling. The pollut- <br />ants are metals from resource extraction and subsurface mining. There is <br />currently a mining operation in this area outside the Forest boundary. The <br />portion of the Williams Fork River located on the Forest is slightly impaired <br />due to past mining activities. <br />? <br />Routt Natlonal Forest - ElS (WateNRiparJaNWetlands) 3-37