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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 findings 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 recommended this segment of Alder Creek to the CWCB for inclusion into the Instream Flow Program. Alder Creek is being considered for inclusion into the Instream 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 Alder Creek is one of the few streams managed by BLM on the northwest side of the San Luis Valley that is capable of supporting a salmonid fishery, and the creek also receives heavy recreation usage because of the lush riparian zone it supports. Alder Creek is 4.7 miles long. It begins on the eastern flank of Round Mountain at an elevation of approximately 11,000 feet and terminates at the confluence with San Luis Creek at an elevation of approximately 8,500 feet. The entire 0.4 mile segment addressed by this report is located on federal lands. Alder Creek is located within Saguahce County. The total drainage area of the creek is approximately 4.9 square miles. Alder Creek generally flows in a northeasterly direction. The subject of this report is a segment of Alder Creek beginning at the BLM-National Forest boundary and extending downstream to the headgate of the Alder Creek Ditch (see Map Appendix D). The proposed segment is located north of Villa Grove. The staff has received only one recommendation for this segment, from the BLM. The recommendation for this segment is discussed below. Instream Flow Recommendation(s) BLM recommended 1.1 cfs, summer, and 0.5cfs, winter, based on its July `13, 2005 data collection efforts (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 Terminus Lower Terminus (miles) % Private % Public BLM-National Forest Headgate of Alder 0.4 20% 0 80% Boundary Creek Ditch 100% of the public lands are managed by BLM. -2-