Laserfiche WebLink
16 September 2008 <br />r 6 <br />HabiTech. lire <br />Water Resource Consultants <br />P.O. Box 944 Lora B. Wesche, President <br />Laramie, WY 84073 Thomas A. Wesche, PhD, Principal. Scientist <br />(307) 742 -4904 (Office) <br />(307) 744.4754 (Fax) F -mail: Iwesche@aoi.com <br />TO: Charles B. White, Petros & White, LLC <br />FROM: Tom Wesche <br />SUBJECT: DRAFT Summary of Morrison Creek Site Visit and Habitat Assessment <br />Introduction: <br />As you requested, I made a site visit to Morrison Creek (MC) on the Flying Horse Ranch in <br />Routt County, CO on 23 August 2008. My purpose was to 1) assess the condition of the MC <br />channel and trout habitat, 2) collect data to develop a preliminary estimate of MC's instream <br />flow needs following the Colorado Water Conservation Board's (CWCB) procedures, and 3) <br />establish a study site for conducting a Physical Habitat Simulation (PHABSIM) investigation to <br />fiuther identify the instream flow needs of MC for maintaining fish habitat. This draft <br />memorandum summarizes my findings to date. <br />Methods: <br />I walked and surveyed MC from the downstream boundary of the ranch up to the confluence with <br />Silver Creek. Numerous photographs were taken at waypoints marked on a Garmin <br />GPSmap60CSx. These will be sent to you on a CD in the near future. Channel condition and <br />stability was evaluated using the Stream Reach Inventory and Channel Stability Evaluation <br />(SRIICSE) procedure developed by the USDA Forest Service (Pfankuch 1975). Aquatic habitat <br />condition was evaluated using both the EPA Rapid Assessment and the Montana Department of <br />Environmental Quality Habitat Assessment protocols. The field data forms for these assessment <br />tools are appended. <br />Following my walk - through, I established a PHABSIM study site just below the confluence of <br />Silver Creek, following the guidance of Bovee (1997). Four cross - channel transacts were <br />selected to represent riffle, ran and pool habitats and measurements of water depth, velocity, <br />substrate and cover were made across each at a series of up to 23 locations. These measurements <br />will likely be repeated in the spring and summer of 2009 at two other stream flow levels and <br />habitat -flow modeling will then be performed following the guidance of the U. S. Geological <br />Survey (2001). One of these four transacts (Transact 3) was placed across a shallow riffle for <br />preliminary instream flow analysis following the CWCB's R2CROSS procedure, as described by <br />Nehring (1979), Wesche and Rechard (1980), Annear and Conder (1983) and Roach (2008). <br />Transact hydraulics were modeled using the USDA Forest Service WinXSPRO program (Hardy <br />at al 2005). The results for Transact 3 (TR3) are appended. A staff gage was installed on river <br />right about 40 R downstream of the bridge at the Silver Creek confluence to monitor water stage <br />during transact measurement and to allow development of a stage - discharge relation following <br />future site visits. <br />PRIVILEGED AND CONFIDENTIAL <br />ATTORNEY WORK PRODUCT <br />ATTORNEY- CLIENT COMMUNICATION Appendix B MonfsonClaneno.wpd <br />