Gunnison River: Executive Summary

Home Browse Search

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 Department of Interior (DI) recommended this segment of the Gunnison River to the CWCB for inclusion into the Instream Flow Program. The Gunnison River 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 DI is very interested in protecting stream flows because the Gunnison River and its Black Canyon represent one of the most spectacular gorges in the world and this segment offers a variety of natural and geologic features, unsurpassed recreational opportunities and no other canyon combines the narrowness, sheer walls, and startling depths. The Gunnison River is approximately 165 miles long. It begins at the confluence of the East and Taylor Rivers near the Town of Almont at an elevation of approximately 8,000 feet and terminates at the confluence with the Colorado River near Grand Junction at an elevation of approximately 4,560 feet. Of the 28.9 mile segment addressed by this report, approximately 95% of the segment, or 27.7 miles, is located on federal lands, while the remainder of the segment, 1.2 miles, is located on private lands. The river is located within Montrose and Delta Counties. The total drainage area of the river is approximately 7,928 square miles. The Gunnison River generally flows in a Northwesterly direction. The subject of this report is a segment of the Gunnison River beginning at the USGS Gage # 09128000 and extending downstream to the confluence with the North Fork of the Gunnison River. The proposed segment is located west of the City of Gunnison. The staff has received only one recommendation for this segment, from the Department of the Interior. The recommendation for this segment is discussed below. Instream Flow Recommendation(s) The DI has recommended spring runoff period flows (May, June and July) ranging from a low of 300 cfs to a high of 10,000+ cfs, based on its scientific studies and analysis undertaken by the National Park Service (NPS) (see Appendix A). Land Status Review Upper Terminus Lower Terminus Total Length (miles) Land Ownership % Private % Public USGS Gage #09128000 North Fork Gunnison River 28.9 5% 95% 95% of the reach is located on federal lands managed by the DI and the other 5% of the reach is located on private lands. -2-