BOARD00177

• Board Meeting Date: 5/23/2005
• Description: ISF Section - Uncontested Streams Request to Delay Final Action
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

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Summary
The information contained in this report and the associated instream flow file folqer forms the
basis for staffs instream flow recommendation to be considered by the Board. It is staffs
opinion that the information contained in this report is sufficient to support the findings required
in Rule 5.40.

Colorado's Instream Flow Program was created in 1973 when the Colorado State Legislature
recognized "the need to correlate the activities of mankind with some reasonable preservation of
the natural environment" (see 37-92-102 (3) C.R.S.). The statute vests the CWCB with the
exclusive authority to appropriate and acquire instream flow and natural lake level water rights.
In order to encourage other entities to participate in Colorado's Instream Flow Program, the
statute directs the CWCB to request instream flow recommendations from other state and federal
agencies. The Bureau of Land Management recommended these segments of Escalante Creek to
the CWCB for inclusion into the Instream Flow Program. Escalante Creek is being considered
for inclusion into the Instream Flow Program because it has a natural environment that can be
preserved to a reasonable degree with an instream flow water right. The BLM is very interested
in protecting stream flows because Escalante Creek provides important spawning habitat for
sensitive fish species in the lower reach, and it sustains a salmonid fishery in the upper reach.

Escalante Creek is 17.9 miles long. It begins near Kelso Point at the confluence of the East and
Middle Forks at an elevation of approximately 6,300 feet and terminates at the confluence with
the Gunnison River at an elevation of approximately 4,800 feet. Escalante Creek is located
within Mesa, Montrose and Delta Counties. The total drainage area of the creek is
approximately 209 square miles. Escalante Creek generally flows in a northeasterly direction.

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There are two stream segments addressed by this report. The first and upper segment of
Escalante Creek begins at the confluence of the East and Middle Forks and extends downstream
to the headgate of the Knob Hill Ditch. The second and lower segment begins at the confluence
with North Fork Escalante Creek and extends downstream to the headgate of the Captain H.A.
Smith Ditch. (see Maps Appendix D). The proposed segments are located southwest ofthe City
of Delta. The staff has received only" one recommendation for these-segments, from the BLM."
The recommendation for these segments is discussed below. ~

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Instream Flow Recommendation(s)
For the upper reach, BLM recommended 11.5 cfs (April 1 to June 30), 3.2 cfs (July I to July 31),
1.3 cfs (August I to February 28), and 3.2 cfs (March I to March 31), based on data collection
efforts on June 17, 2003 and June 2, 2004. For the lower reach, BLM recommended 8.2 cfs
(April I to June 30), 4.0 cfs (July I to July 31),1.5 cfs (August I to Feb. 28),4.0 cfs (March I to
March 31), based on data collection efforts on June 17,2003 and June 2, 2004. The modeling
results from these survey efforts are within the confidence interval produced by the R2Cross
model.

Land Status Review

Total Length Land Ownershio
Upper Terminus Lower Terminus (miles) % Private % Public
Confluence of East Headgate of Knob 3.9 9.6% 90.4%
and Middle Forks Hill Ditch
Confluence with Headgate of
North Fork Escalante Captain H.A. 6.4 11.7% 88.3%
Creek Smith Ditch

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