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Summary 0 0 <br />The information contained in this report and the associated instream flow file folder forms the <br />basis for staff's instream flow recommendation to be considered by the Board. It is staff's <br />opinion that the information contained in this report is sufficient to support the findings required <br />in Rule 5.40. <br />Colorado's Instream Flow Program was created in 1973 when the Colorado State Legislature <br />recognized "the need to correlate the activities of mankind with some reasonable preservation of <br />the natural environment" (see 37 -92 -102 (3) C.R.S.). The statute vests the CWCB with the <br />exclusive authority to appropriate and acquire instream flow and natural lake level water rights. <br />In order to encourage other entities to participate in Colorado's Instream Flow Program, the <br />statute directs the CWCB to request instream flow recommendations from other state and federal <br />agencies. The Bureau of Land Management recommended this segment of North Fork West <br />Creek to the CWCB for inclusion into the Instream Flow Program. North Fork West Creek is <br />being considered for inclusion into the Instream Flow Program because it has a natural <br />environment that can be preserved to a reasonable degree with an instream flow water right. The <br />BLM is very interested in protecting stream flows because North Fork West Creek flows through <br />a BLM wilderness study area and supports a pristine riparian area and fishery. <br />North Fork West Creek is 9.6 miles long. It begins on Pinon Mesa at an elevation of <br />approximately 9,050 feet and terminates at the confluence with West Creek at an elevation of <br />approximately 5,550 feet. North Fork West Creek is located within Mesa County. North Fork <br />West Creek generally flows in a southerly direction. <br />The subject of this report is a segment of North Fork West Creek beginning at the Two V Gulch <br />and extending downstream to confluence West Creek (see Map Appendix D). The proposed <br />segment is located north of the Town of Gateway. The staff has received only one <br />recommendation for this segment, from the BLM. The recommendation for this segment is <br />discussed below. <br />Instream Flow Recommendation(s) <br />BLM recommended 3.7 cfs, summer, and 0.8 cfs, winter, based on its June 23, 1997, August 8, <br />2001, and May 15, 2002, data collection efforts (see Appendix A). The modeling results from <br />this survey effort are within the confidence interval produced by the R2Cross model. <br />Land Status Review <br />Total Length Land Ownership <br />Upper Terminus Lower Terminus (miles) % Private % Public <br />Two V Gulch West Creek 6.0 43% 57% <br />57% of the reach is located on federal lands managed by the BLM. <br />Biological Data <br />The BLM has conducted field surveys of the fishery resources on this stream and have found a <br />natural environment that can be preserved. As reported in the letter from BLM to the CWCB <br />"Fishery surveys indicate that the stream environment is in good condition, and supports a self - <br />sustaining rainbow trout and speckled dace fishery. Channel stability, bank stability, and water <br />quality are excellent for salmonids. However, the limiting factor on this creek is the steepness of <br />-2- <br />