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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 6
depletions are not known at this time. Not all of the reservoir storage will actually be
depleted as much of the water will eventually return to the Yampa River basin as treated
effluent or irrigation return flows. The actual depletions will depend upon the end use
and will be assessed during the District's continuing review of the Morrison Creek
Reservoir.
Cultural Resource. When a federal agency permits an activity that may affect cultural
resources, the agency must consult with Colorado's State Historic Preservation Officer.
State Agencies also become involved when the activity involved a nominated or listed
State Registered property. The process involves the following three steps:
1. Evaluating the eligibility of the cultural resources.
2. Determining effects of proposed work on eligible or listed properfies.
3. Seeking alternatives to avoid, minimize, or mitigate effects to such.
A 1993 study assessing a potential reservoir site on Morrison Creek downstream of the
proposed Project did locate a number of isolated archaeological sites in the basin 4 . No
determinations were made as to their eligibility to the National Register. These sites, as
well as other potential sites in the study area, will be examined as part of a new
archaeological survey.
4.0 PROPOSED MITIGATION
To holp offset tho inundation of a maximum of 3,720 linear feel, of Silver ("reek due to
construction of the planned Morrison Creek Reservoir, the District will provide the
foiluwing mitigation:
The District will work with CWCB staff and the Colorado Division of Wildlife to
develop a reservoir management plan specific to Morrison Creek Reservoir.
Such plan shall identify desirable fish species and set forth procedures to
introduce and maintain populations in the reservoir.
2. The District %Will maintain minimum bypass flows on Morrison Creek below the
planned Morrison Creck Reservoir. PI-Csontly, thers are no IISF rights on
Morrison Creek; however, the CWCB has declared its intent to appropriate new
iSF rights on Morrison Creek in arnounts of 13.2 cfs (April 1 —August 15) and 8.1
cfs (August 16 — March 31). If decreed, the GWC8 iSF rights would be junior in
priority to the Morrison Creek Reservoir. Under its mitigation proposal, the
District would forego storage opportunities as necessary and agree to bypass the
lesser of the recommended ISF water right or the natural flow of Morrison Creek.
In addition to the proposed mitigation measures, the District will also be required to meet
the requirements of other state, local, and federal agencies' permitting requirements
4 Hydrosphere Resource Consultants, 1 9993. Yampa River Basin Altematives Feasibility Study Firiall report.
Colorado.River Water Conservation Distd-ot, Co!orado Water Conservation Board, U.S. Bureau of
Redarnation, Boulder, Colorado,
MURESOURCE
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