2-08CW056 Supplemental Data

• Case Number: 08CW0056
• Stream Name: Severy Creek
• Watershed: Fountain
• Water Division: 2
• Water District: 10
• County: El Paso
• County: Teller
• Instream Flow App - Doc Type: Supplemental Data

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Staff Analysis and Recommendation
Summary
The information contained in this report and the associated instream flow appendices (see
CD entitled 2008 Instream Flow Recommendations) 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 findings 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. Trout Unlimited (TU) and
the Colorado Division of Wildlife (CDOW) recommended this segment of Severy Creek to
the CWCB for inclusion into the Instream Flow Program. Severy 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.
Severy Creek is approximately 4.0 miles long. It originates on the flank of Pike's Peak at
approximately 11,500 feet and terminates at its confluence with Cascade Creek at an
elevation of 8,400 feet (Fig 1). The total drainage area of the creek is approximately 3.4
square miles. Of the 4.0 mile segment proposed for protection, approximately 75 %, 3.0
miles, is located U.S. Forest Service land and another 22% is held by Colorado Springs
Utilities, a community owned utility (Table 1). Only 2.5% is in private ownership.
Land Status Review
Upper Terminus
Lower Terminus
Total Length
(miles)
Land Ownership
% Private
% USFS
% CSU
Headwaters
Above aqueduct
4
3%
76%
21%
Instream Flow Recommendations
TU and CDOW are recommending instream flow appropriations of 1.54 cfs during the
summer and 0.79 cfs during the winter. An R2CROSS analysis of cross - sectional data
collected on 7/28/06 was relied on to develop these recommendations (Table 1).
Biological Data
The CDOW has documented the occurrence of greenback cutthroat trout above a fish
barrier on the lower portion of Severy Creek. This population has been shown to be
genetically pure. This is significant because greenback cutthroat trout have been
identified by the CDOW and federal agencies as "species of greatest conservation need"
and are currently listed as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act.
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