Memorandum: November 8 2009 Agenda Item 11 Water Supply Protection Section

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Dolores Group will move to a series of 3 Topic Workshops that will result in proposed Protection Strategies. The Dolores Group will draft and review a Final Report in March -May of 2010. The Report will contain a Preferred Alternative in areas where consensus can be reached, and a range of alternatives in areas were a range of opinions exist. The Interdisciplinary Team from the Dolores Public Lands Office will draw on the Dolores Group Report in formulating a Corridor Plan update, and recommendations for incorporation or amendment into the San Juan Forest /BLM Resource Management Plan. Summary of Field Science Work One of the science - related deliverables is "a summary of field work conducted ... and the knowledge gained and its application to ORVs." Two reports have been produced related to the field work: (1) a Field Science Summary prepared by Chester Anderson, which includes science, monitoring and adaptive management questions going forward; and (2) a research report by M.A. Candidate Adam Coble on the "Relationship between Regulated Stream Flow and the Establishment of Native Riparian Tree Species in the Dolores River Watershed." The combination of these reports address ORVs pertaining cold water and native fisheries, riparian vegetation, channel maintenance, and rafting. Specific issues include water quality, water temperature, dissolved oxygen levels, flushing flows, tamarisk removal and cottonwood regeneration. All of these functions are considered in light of managing for rafting flows. A key question that comes out of these studies is how to prioritize among native fish, trout, and rafting in managing spills, fish pool releases, and outlet levels in McPhee dam. Results from the ongoing DRD field research, monitoring and adaptive management, particularly in relationship to Wild and Scenic ORVs will continue to be integrated into the Working Group effort to develop tools and strategies for ORV protection. River Protection Workgroup Update (Hermosa Creek) The River Protection Workgroup is a group of interested stakeholders including the Southwestern Colorado Water Conservation District, the U.S. Forest Service, the State, local governments, environmental organizations, the tribes, and others who are exploring river resource protection in a manner that allows Colorado water users to fully develop our compact entitlements. This group has a steering committee and had divided the basin into five sub - basins so that each sub -basin could hold a series of meetings and adopt a proposal that meets their local needs and purposes. The sub - basins are the Hermosa Creek basin, the San Juan River basin, the Pine River basin, the Piedra River basin, and the Animas River basin. Over the last two years, the Hermosa Creek sub -basin has been engaged in a public process to explore resource protection consistent with the steering committee's goals. At the November public meeting, this sub -basin generally settled on a proposal to proceed now with land protections on Hermosa Creek in the form of a National Conservation Area and a Wilderness Area, using the existing 1993 Wilderness Act legislative language on water, with the understanding that all of the parties have agreed to "circle back" to this group to provide water protection once the other sub -basin processes are complete or near complete. However, there are a couple of remaining issues regarding the land protections. A copy of the draft Hermosa Creek River Protection Work Group is attached for your consideration, and the issues are identified therein. Of primary interest to the Board is the fact that the SWSI Reports have identified a possible reservoir within the Hermosa Creek watershed. The RPW is discussing how to allow land protection to proceed in a way so that the possible reservoir site will not be prevented as a result. 7