Stream: Willow Creek Executive Summary

• Description: Stream: Willow Creek Executive Summary
• State: CO
• Water Division: 4
• Title: Stream: Willow Creek Executive Summary
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

Staff Analysis and Recommendation
Summary
The information contained in this report and the associated instream flow file folder forms the
basis for staff's instream flow recommendation to be considered by the Board. It is staff's
opinion that the information contained in this report is sufficient to support the fmdings required
in Rule 5.40.
Colorado's Instream Flow Program was created in 1973 when the Colorado State Legislature
recognized "the need to correlate the activities of mankind with some reasonable preservation of
the natural environment" (see 37 -92 -102 (3) C.R.S.). The statute vests the CWCB with the
exclusive authority to appropriate and acquire instream flow and natural lake level water rights.
In order to encourage other entities to participate in Colorado's Instream Flow Program, the
statute directs the CWCB to request instream flow recommendations from other state and federal
agencies. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) recommended this segment of Willow Creek
to the CWCB for inclusion into the Instream Flow Program. Willow Creek is being considered
for inclusion into the Instream Flow Program because it has a natural environment that can be
preserved to a reasonable degree with an instream flow water right.
Willow Creek is approximately 18.8 miles long. It begins at an elevation of 10,100 feet and
generally flows north until it terminates at the confluence with Blue Mesa Reservoir at an
elevation of 7,516 feet. Of the 3.59 mile segment addressed by this report, approximately 87.5%
of the segment is located on federal lands. Willow Creek is located within Gunnison County and
has a total drainage area of approximately 73 square miles.
The subject of this report is a segment of the Willow Creek beginning at the confluence with
Sugar Creek and extending downstream to the confluence with Blue Mesa Reservoir. The
proposed segment is located approximately 8 miles southwest of Gunnison. Staff has received
only one recommendation for this segment, from the BLM. The recommendation for this
segment is discussed below.
Instream Flow Recommendation
The BLM is recommending 2.3 cfs (April 1 — June 30) and 0.5 cfs (July I — March 31) based on
their data collection efforts and staff's water availability analyses.
Land Status Review
Upper Terminus
Lower Terminus
Total Length
(miles)
Land Ownership
% Private
% Public
Confluence w/
Confluence w/ Blue
3.59
12.5%
87.5%
Sugar Creek
Mesa Reservoir
7% of the public lands are part of the Curecanti National Recreation Area and are managed by
the National Park Service and the remaining 93% are managed by the BLM.
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