Wild & Scenic Rivers South Platte River

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• P • of free - flowing river mileage on the eastern front range of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. Since the 19th century, the Poudre River, from its headwaters, has been intensively managed for importation, storage and convey- ance of water. The earliest transmountain diversion structure in Colorado carries water from the headwaters of the Colorado River into the headwaters of the Poudre River. Numerous small reser- voirs exist on tributaries to the Poudre River in these upper reaches. Nevertheless, the Poudre River mainstem and the South Fork of the Poudre River have remained undamined above the can- yon's mouth northwest of the City of Fort Collins. Designation of 75 miles of the Cache la Poudre River in north- central Colorado as Colorado's first Wild and Scenic River is the result of long - standing efforts to strike a balance between conserva- tion and water supply interests regarding the use and protection of a unique and valuable river resource in northeastern Colorado. Eighty -three miles of the mainstem of the Cache la Poudre River and the South Fork of the Cache la Poudre River northwest of Fort Collins, Colorado, were eligible for inclusion in the National Wild and Scenic. Rivers System. The U.S. Forest Service has studied the 83 miles of the upper reaches of the river and recommended 62 miles for designation. Controversy over designation of the river as Wild and Scenic has raged for many years as water supply interests advocated exclusion from designation of numerous segments of the river for proposed dam and reservoir sites. These sites included the Idylewilde, Indian Meadows, Elkhorn, and Grey Mountain Dam and reservoir sites on the mainstem of the Poudre, plus the Rockwell dam and reservoir site on the South Fork of the Poudre River. Conservation interests, on the other hand, sought inclusion of the 83 eligible miles of stud- ied river because of its beauty and vitality as a source of wildlife and waterfowl, for use by fishermen, hunters and boaters of all types, as well as for its historic, geologic and scientific value. In enacting this legislation, Congress has relied upon the joint recommendations of conservation and water supply interests. Those recommendations are the result of lengthy deliberations. Congress has enacted those recommendations in the Cache la Poudre Wild and Scenic designation. The premise upon which those recommendations were based are as follows: Recognizing the superior recreational and aesthetic values of the River, conservationists and water- supply interests supported the designation of the entire stretch of the mainstem from the mountain headwaters to just below the town of Poudre Park, as well as most of the South Fork, a total of 31 miles of "wild" river and 44 miles of recreational river. Thus construction of the proposed Elkhorn, Idylewilde and Indian Meadows Dam and Reservoir sates on the mainstem will be precluded. The entire South Fork of the Cache la Poudre is designated, but for the small proposed Rockwell Reservoir site which lies between two segments designated as wild river. Recognizing the feasibility of storing water below the designated segments, conservationists and water- supply interests supported termination of the designation at a point just below Poudre Park and above the Grey Mountain Dam and Reservoir site. Water sup-