CWCB Comments on the Draft Wild and Scenic Eligibility Report for the Bureau of Land Management Uncompahgre Planning Area

• Description: CWCB Comments on the Draft Wild and Scenic Eligibility Report for the Bureau of Land Management Uncompahgre Planning Area from Jennifer Gimble to the BLM.
• State: CO
• Basin: Gunnison
• Water Division: 4
• Date: 2/26/2010
• Author: Jennifer Gimble, Director of the Colorado Water Conservation Board
• Title: CWCB Comments on the Draft Wild and Scenic Eligibility Report for the Bureau of Land Management Uncompahgre Planning Area
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Correspondence

STATE OF COLORADO
Colorado Water Conservation Board
Department of Natural Resources
1313 Sherman Street, Room 721
Denver, Colorado 80203
Phone: [phone]
FAX: [phone]
www.cwcb.state.co.us
Bureau of Land Management
Uncompahgre Field Office, Colorado
Attn: RMP Revision
2645 S. Townsend Ave.
Montrose, CO 81401
February 26, 2010 Bill Ritter, Jr.
Governor
Jim Martin
Executive Director
Jennifer Gimbel
CWCB Director
Re: CWCB Comments on Draft Wild and Scenic Eligibility Report for the Dan McAuliffe
Bureau of Land Management Uncompahgre Planning Area. Deputy Director
The Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB or Board) appreciates this opportunity to
comment on the Draft Wild and Scenic Eligibility Report for the Bureau of Land Management
Uncompahgre Planning Area (Draft Report) released by the Bureau of Land Management
( "BLM ") in December 2009.
The Draft Report details the inventory and evaluation of waters within the Uncompahgre
Planning Area and portions of the Dominguez - Escalante National Conservation Area for
potential eligibility in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. The analysis considers the
condition of river segments along the Lower and North Fork of the Gunnison, the San Miguel,
and the Upper and Lower Dolores Rivers, each of which comprises part of the Colorado River
hydrologic system within Colorado.
The CWCB has a substantial interest in the efficient management and wise administration of the
river segments inventoried and evaluated in the Draft Report. The CWCB is authorized to,
among other things, "cooperate with the United States and the agencies thereof... for the
purpose of bringing about the greater utilization of the water of the state of Colorado ...," and
"to confer with and appear before the officers, representatives, boards, bureaus, committees,
commissions, or other agencies of... the federal government, for the purpose of protecting and
asserting the authority, interests, and rights of the state of Colorado and its citizens with respect
to the waters of the interstate streams in this state. "'
Furthermore, the CWCB has the exclusive authority to appropriate instream flow water rights,2
and its Instream Flow Program has proven to be very successful, protecting over 8,500 miles of
streams and 480 natural lake levels in Colorado. The BLM has successfully relied on this
program in dozens of situations to protect water resources located within or adjacent to BLM
lands. It is under this authority and in the interest of protecting the rights and needs of its
citizens that Colorado submits the following comments:
The CWCB appreciates the Draft Report's express acknowledgement that the eligibility
analysis is an initial phase of the Wild and Scenic River investigation, intended to
identify the BLM's opinion regarding the free - flowing nature and outstanding and
remarkable values of the inventoried river segments. Although the CWCB may dispute
or disagree with some of the BLM's findings in the Draft Eligibility Report if it
1 Section 37 -60 -106, subsections (e) and (i), C.R.S. (2009).
2 Section 37 -92- 102(3), C.R.S. (2009).
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