Laserfiche WebLink
I. Introduction rt <br />Approximately a ye r and a half ago, in response to one of the <br />recommendations o the HB92 -1200 report, quarterly meetings were <br />institute3 between e senior management staff of the Department <br />of Natural Resources (DNR) and Department of Public Health and <br />Environment (DPHE) water quantity and water quality agencies. <br />For the past year, representatives of the Colorado Water <br />Conservation Board and the Water Quality Control Commission have <br />also participated in these meetings. More recently, Division of <br />Wildlife management staff have joined these discussions. <br />One of the issues of greatest mutual concern is the decline of <br />native aquatic species and the related implications for <br />Colorado's future role in managing wildlife resources, water <br />supplies, and protecting water quality. This Draft Concept Paper <br />is being circulated to encourage public discussion regarding this <br />issue and regarding a potential collaborative public and private <br />sector response. . <br />The two Departments believe that Colorado has reached a critical <br />juncture in the management of its water - related natural <br />resources. This critical juncture results from the interaction <br />of several trends that have become increasingly pronounced in <br />recent years: <br />• There is increasing competition from other states for <br />use and control of water in the major river basins that <br />originate in Colorado; <br />• A growing segment of the public has come to place a <br />high value on protection of wildlife and other elements <br />of the natural environment; <br />• Aquatic and other water- dependent biotic communities in <br />Colorado and downstream states have been impacted by <br />significant declines in habitat; and <br />• The resulting species declines have triggered increased <br />application of federal regulatory requirements that <br />threaten to limit the ability of Colorado and its <br />citizens to determine the short and long -term uses to <br />be made of our water resources. <br />One result of these challenges appears.to be a convergence of <br />interests in a proactive effort to assure protection of water - <br />dependent native flora and fauna at a level that avoids the need <br />for future federal listings of threatened and endangered species <br />in Colorado. Protection of these biological resources would not <br />only preserve a critical component of Colorado's high quality <br />1 <br />