Initial River Protection Tools/Mechanisms

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G. Rio Chama Management Plan III. Other A. Conservation Easements B. County Land Use Codes C. Contractual Arrangements I. State Protection Mechanisms A. Colorado Instream Flow and Natural Lake Level Program ("ISF Program"): Colorado's ISF Program, a tool for permanently protecting stream flows and preserving the natural environment of Colorado's streams, was established by the Colorado General Assembly in 1973. The legislature recognized the need to "correlate the activities of mankind with some reasonable preservation of the natural environment," and vested the Colorado Water Conservation Board ("CWCB") with exclusive authority to protect streamflows through a reach of stream. The CWCB may appropriate new ISF water rights or acquire existing water rights and change them to ISFuse under the ISF Program as follows: An ISF water right is: • An in-channel appropriation of water (non-consumptive) for an identified flow rate between specific points on a stream. • Appropriated exclusively by the CWCB for minimum ISFs to preserve the natural environment to a reasonable degree. Process to appropriate a new ISF water right: • CWCB requests recommendations for streams to be considered for ISF appropriations to preserve the natural environment. An ISF workshop is held each February to discuss proposed recommendations. • Any person or governmental entity may submit recommendations in writing and with specificity as to the aspect of the natural environment the ISF would preserve and the water available for the proposed ISF. • Recommendations are prioritized and added to a Candidate Stream List for processing by CWCB staff. • Data are collected and flow requirements are quantified using R2Cross or another standard methodology, usually, but not limited to, a cold-water fishery standard, that a natural environment exists; water is available for ISF appropriation; and there will be no material injury to water rights. -2- • Recommendations are submitted to CWCB for determinations and appropriation. The CWCB provides notice and an opportunity for public input on every recommendation.