Smith Fork Gunnison Hearing (2) - Laserfiche WebLink

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Land Status Review Total Length Land Ownership Upper Terminus Lower Terminus (miles) %Private %Public Confluence North and Confluence Little 3.9 42% 58% South Smith Forks Coal Creek 58% of the reach is located on public lands managed by the USFS and the other 42% of the reach is located on private lands. Biological and Field Survey Data The CDOW has conducted field surveys of the fishery resources on this stream and have found a natural environment that can be preserved. As reported in the letter from CDOW to the CWCB "The Smith Fork of the Gunnison River is classified as a large stream (between 36 to 59 feet wide) and fishery surveys indicate the stream environment of the Smith Fork supports a self- sustaining cutthroat,brown and rainbow trout fishery"(See CDOW Fish Survey in Appendix B). Field Survey Data CDOW staff used the R2CROSS methodology to quantify the amount of water required to preserve the natural environment to a reasonable degree. The R2CROSS method requires that stream discharge and channel profile data be collected in a riffle stream habitat type. Riffles are most easily visualized, as the stream habitat types that would dry up first should streamflow cease. This type of hydraulic data collection consists of setting up a transect, surveying the stream channel geometry, and measuring the stream discharge. Appendix B contains copies of field data collected for this proposed segment. Biological Flow Recommendation The CWCB staff relied upon the biological expertise of the cooperating agencies to interpret output from the R2CROSS data collected to develop the initial, biologic instream flow recommendation. This initial recommendation is designed to address the unique biologic requirements of each stream without regard to water availability. Three instream flow hydraulic parameters, average depth, percent wetted perimeter, and average velocity are used to develop biologic instream flow recommendations. The CDOW has determined that maintaining these three hydraulic parameters at adequate levels across riffle habitat types, aquatic habitat in pools and runs will also be maintained for most life stages of fish and aquatic invertebrates (Nehring 1979; Espegren 1996). For this segment of stream, one data set was collected with the results shown in Table 1 below. Table 1 shows who collected the data (Party), the date the data was collected (Date), the measured discharge at the time of the survey (Q), the accuracy range of the predicted flows based on Manning's Equation (240% and 40% of Q), the summer flow recommendation based on meeting 3 of 3 hydraulic criteria and the winter flow recommendation based upon 2 of 3 hydraulic criteria. Table 1: Data Party Date Q 250%-40% Summer(3/3) Winter(2/3) DOW 10/20/1998 10.9 27.2—4.4 12.9 7.7 BLM=Bureau of Land Management DOW=Division of Wildlife (1)Predicted flow outside of the accuracy range of Manning's Equation. ?=Criteria never met in R2CROSS Staging Table. - 3 -