PUB00057

• Year: 1978
• Title: The Colorado Water Study Directions for the Future
• CWCB Section: Water Conservation & Drought Planning
• Author: EDO DNR
• Description: First publicatiom of the Colorado Water Study volumes
• Publications - Doc Type: Brochure

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importance to many people~ and one may infer the impact on these values
from a change in irrigated ac.reage.

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WATER-BASED RECREATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

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The growing concern for environmental values on the part of a large
number of Coloradans is self-evident. Among these values are outdoor
recreational opportunitie~ in general, and water-based recreation, in
particular.

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In order to measure impacts on this value, two indicators will be
utilized. The first indicator will measure impacts in terms of the miles
of streams in Colorado which have flows sufficient to maintain a cold-
water fishery and/or to support rafting and kayaking on a seasonal basis.
This indicator is also taken to measure, as a first approximation, the
ecological integrity of a stream and the values associated therewith.
The second indicator will measure impacts by estimating the number of
activity days of fishing, rafting, and kayaking that would be gained
or lost as a function of different levels of future water consumption.
The reason for employing this indicator is that it will, in contrast to
the first one, provide at least a crude measure of the satisfaction
which people derive from various levels of instream flows.

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SUMMARY

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As the above discussion has pointed out, the water study will
depict the effects of water allocation alternatives in terms of their
impacts on several social values of concern to broad segments of
society. Having done so, the study will then go on to examine the ways
in which any particular alternative can be brought about. In other
words, the tools to bring about specified uses of water must by analyzed.
The scope and content of this analysis is discussed in the next chapter.

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