Briefing Paper for the Stakeholder Group Alternative Management Plan Proposal

• Description: Documents related to the Upper Colorado River Wild and Sceni Stakeholders Process
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Water Division: 5
• Title: Briefing Paper for the Stakeholder Group Alternative Management Plan Proposal
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Meeting

Key Elements of the Plan
Protection of the ORVs:
• The SG Plan aims to protect all ORVs identified in the Eligibility Reports for these
segments, while focusing on the water-related Recreational Fishing and Recreational
Boating ORVs.
• Long Term Protection Measures include appropriation of CWCB instream flows,
delivery of water to downstream demands, delivery to downstream senior water rights,
and deliveries to the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Species in the Grand
Valley. The instream flow filings were negotiated by the SG members and filed by the
CWCB in 2011.
• Cooperative Measures of Stakeholders have been initially identified and
implementation will be considered annually. Implementation decisions will be based on
hydrologic conditions, forecasted needs for the ORV's and voluntary cooperative
actions by water interests that protect their ability to meet water supply commitments
using prudent operational constraints. Additionally, anticipated mitigation and
enhancement measures associated with water project permitting would add to the list
of options available to the SG if and when agreed upon.
Monitoring Plan:
• The Monitoring Plan uses ORV Indicators and Resource Guides to monitor and protect
the ORVS. The SG will establish protocols for monitoring the ORV Indicators and
Resource Guides to assist with implementation of the SG Plan.
o ORV Indicators, which describe conditions that characterize the ORVs, will be
monitored to gauge whether the ORVs are being protected under the SG Plan.
Failure to meet criteria related to the provisional or final ORV Indicators would
be cause for elevation and potential termination of the SG Plan.
o Resource Guides include flow ranges for recreational boating, fish habitat and
sediment mobilization, as well as compliance with water quality standards. The
Resource Guides will be used as a source of information to inform SG discussions
under the Plan. The Resource Guides are not intended to be used as a test for
Plan success nor for use by permitting agencies or entities as criteria for
evaluating a project's effects on the ORVs
• The Monitoring Plan has an initial 3-to-5 year provisional period during which the SG
will gather additional data, learn and refine what is needed for the protection of the
ORVs and develop a final long-term Monitoring Plan to guide the protection of the
ORVs.
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