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Background <br />The Upper Arkansas Watershed <br />covers approximately 3,500 square <br />miles in central Colorado. The Upper <br />Arkansas River extends 150 miles <br />from the Continental Divide to its <br />exit from the mountains onto the <br />plains. The entire Upper Arkansas <br />Watershed is encompassed in the four <br />counties (Lake, Chaffee, Fremont and <br />Custer) covered by the Upper Arkansas <br />Watershed Council (UAWC) and <br />includes the communities of Leadville, <br />Buena Vista, Salida, Westcliffe, Silver <br />Cliff, Canon City and Florence. <br />The river is the economic and <br />ecologic lifeblood of this large <br />watershed community. It supports <br />irrigated agriculture, local and Front <br />Range municipal water needs, industry, <br />the largest commercial rafting industry <br />in the nation and trout fishing. The <br />valley's future is integrally linked to <br />the future of the river. <br />The river's resources are limited, <br />and there are many competing demands <br />on its water. Communication between <br />upstream and downstream interests, <br />among various water users, and <br />between resource agencies and local <br />communities has been fragmented. <br />In 1995, a number of agricultural, <br />mining, municipal, recreation and <br />environmental interests formed a <br />new "organization of organizations ", <br />the Upper Arkansas Watershed <br />Council. Watershed Council member <br />organizations guide the actions of <br />the Watershed Council toward the <br />Council's goals, which are expressed <br />in its mission statement: "The Upper <br />Arkansas Watershed Council, as <br />representatives of interested parties, <br />will foster improved communication, <br />collaboration, education and scientific <br />understanding, and will develop <br />strategies and make recommendations <br />to conserve, protect and enhance <br />watershed natural resources for the use <br />and enjoyment of present and future <br />generations." <br />Watershed Challenges <br />• Management of river flows to <br />accommodate competing needs <br />such as irrigation, municipal water <br />needs, fish populations, reservoirs, <br />rafting and other recreational <br />uses. <br />• Heavy metal contamination of <br />surface water and sediment from <br />historic mining. <br />• Accelerated rangeland erosion and <br />streambank degradation. <br />• Loss of riparian and wetland <br />areas. <br />• Potential future water storage <br />needs. <br />local watershed reports <br />• Water quality impacts as a result <br />of population increases. <br />Education and Outreach <br />In fulfillment of its educational <br />objectives, the Council has successfully <br />organized Water Leadership Seminars <br />for citizens in the basin's communities, <br />and co- sponsored the annual Arkansas <br />River Basin Water Forum. Among its <br />major accomplishments, it has brought <br />up- and downstream users together to <br />reach an agreement on timed reservoir <br />releases, and facilitated a cooperative <br />watershed approach by landowners, <br />mining interests, and state and federal <br />regulators to restore an 11 -mile reach <br />of the Upper Arkansas degraded by <br />historic mining wastes. <br />Members share their knowledge <br />and expertise with each other and the <br />general public on a variety of water <br />and natural resource issues affecting <br />the watershed in quarterly meetings <br />and electronic newsletters. <br />The Watershed Council's website <br />www.uawc.org contains its charter, full <br />mission statement, meeting memories <br />and other information of interest to <br />watershed citizens. <br />Upper Arkansas River <br />