CWCB San Miguel PHS Final - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

General Information The San Miguel River is approximately 70 miles long. It begins on the north side of Wasatch Mountain at an elevation of approximately 9100 feet and terminates at the confluence with the Dolores River at an elevation of approximately 4900 feet. Of the 16.5 mile segment addressed by this report, approximately 28% of the segment, or 4.6 miles, is located on public lands. The San Miguel River is located within San Miguel and Montrose Counties. The total drainage area of the San Miguel River is approximately 1,500 square miles. The San Miguel River generally flows in a westerly direction. The San Miguel Basin is the largest tributary to the Dolores River and is part of the Upper Colorado River System. The one million acre San Miguel Basin is about 60 percent semi -arid rangeland and agricultural land, both comprising the lower elevations. The remaining 40 percent of the basin is in higher elevation, forested subalpine and alpine zones of the San Juan Mountains. Most of the flow in the San Miguel River (240,000 acre -feet per year) is derived from snowmelt at the higher elevations. Because of its relatively low, human population density and lack of large, water storage impoundments, the San Miguel Basin is considered to be one of the few ecologically and hydrologically intact river basins in Colorado. The subject of this report is two segments of the San Miguel River. The first segment begins at the confluence with Calamity Draw and extends downstream to the confluence with Tabeguache Creek. The second segment begins at Tabeguache Creek and extends downstream to the confluence with the Dolores River. The proposed segments are located west of the towns of Nucla and Naturita. The instream flow recommendation for both segments is discussed below. Species of Special Concern and Sensitive Species Roundtail chub (Gila robusta) is recognized by the State of Colorado as a species of special concern. The roundtail chub, flannelmouth sucker (Catostomus latipinnis) and bluehead sucker (Catostomus discobolus) are considered sensitive species by the BLM. Criteria that apply to BLM sensitive species include the following: 1) species under status review by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; or 2) species with numbers declining so rapidly that federal listing may become necessary; or 3) species with typically small and widely dispersed populations; or 4) species inhabiting ecological refugia or other specialized or unique habits. The CDOW, BLM and others have developed a "Range -wide conservation agreement and strategy" to direct management for these species. This plan provides direction and goals for research and management of projects. The success of management strategies will depend upon the voluntary implementation of these strategies by the signatories. Special attention will need to be given to habitat degradation and influence of non - native species interactions within the native range of these species. The intention of these plans is to increase populations and distributions of identified species, thereby assisting in the long -term persistence of each species. The success of such plans could potentially curtail the need for federal listing of these species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). These species are not currently federally listed. in