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• Board Meeting Date: 7/21/2010
• Description: Stream & Lake Protection Section - Case Nos. 6-07CW061 and 6-07CW072: Applications of Upper Yampa Water Conservancy District
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

Linda Bassi, Esq July 7, 2010
Page 3
therefore helps firm its dry year yield. Modeling by RESOURCE has estimated that the
Morrison Creek Reservoir has potential to improve the yield of Stagecoach Reservoir by
approximately 5,300 AF annually. Thus, there is an existing need to construct the
Morrison Creek Reservoir. The delivery of water to Stagecoach Reservoir will be made
by pipeline and/or ditch across the Morrison Divide and further pipeline, ditch, and/or use
of the stream channel of Little Morrison Creek for conveyance to Stagecoach Reservoir.
In addition to importing Morrison Creek water into Stagecoach Reservoir for project
firming, some additional water supply would be available for release from Morrison
Creek Reservoir for benefit of future users. Water demand for domestic, irrigation,
commercial, and municipal uses in the Upper Yampa Basin within Applicant's service
area will increase in the future. The District has an identified planning period of 50
years. During that period, the demands for water under the District's exisfing contracts
and anticipated future contracts are expected to increase because of changes in water
rights administration requiring contractees to use more water directly or by exchange
and growth within the individual service areas. As a result, the reservoir will provide
local economic benefits as it will help support continued residential and industrial
development within Routt and Moffat Counties. The development of additional water for
these purposes would facii1tate development of Colorado's allotment of interstate waters.
3.0 RESERVOIR IMPACT ON SILVER CREEK ISF
This section addresses the requirements of 2 CCR 408-2, Section 7e: Required
Information. It includes information concerning the locaflon, size, and impact of the
proposed inundation on the CWCB's Silver Creek ISF.
3.1 Location and Size of inundation
The location of the planned Morrison Creek Reservoir is generally shown in Figure 1,
Morrison Creek Reservoir Vicinity Map. Figure 2 provides the reviewer with additional
detail of the planned reservoir site and possible inundation. As summarized in Figure 2,
the MorTison Creek Reservoir, at the planned high water elevation of 7,915 feet, vAll
impound approximately 4,965 AF and inundate 330 acres of land. Of this amount, 25.6
acres of lower Silver Creek will be inundated. Thus, approximately 7.7 percent of the
reservoir's surface area is associated with the Silver Creek vicinity and is the subject of
this inundation request.
3.2 Impact of Inundation on CWCB ISF and Natural Environment
Figure 3 provides additional detail corcerning the potential impact of the Morrison Creek
Reservoir inundation of Silver Creek, The inundation will directly impact approximately
3,720 linear feet of lower Silver Creek. This represents approximately 5.8 percent of the
total 12 mile ISF reach. Information available from CWCB staff reports indicates that
fishing surveys within the region have found a naturally reproducing brook trout
U- R E S 0 U R C E
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Essex E N G I N E E R I N 3 4 C