BOARD00453

• Board Meeting Date: 2/26/1975
• Description: Agenda or Table of Contents, Minutes, Resolution
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Meeting

values of the stream. They are looking at the preservation of aquatic
'life and any type of wild life, such things as spawning areas for fish,
the freezing conditions which occur on that stream during the winter
months and water depths which must be maintained in order to sustain
fish life through the winter periods. There are a variety of factors
that go into their recommendations. Then they submit these flows to us
and we apply them then to the historic conditions. If they bring in a
'recommended flow which exceeds this average, we would not approve it.
We have to reconcile the recommended flows with actual conditions in
arriving at a final recommendation.

Here is the actual recommendation then in the case of the Crystal River.
As you can see, it is indeed a minimum flow when compared to the average
flow. It appears to us to be a reasonable recommendation. That is
how we arrived at it. Sometimes we have a considerable dialogue before
we arrive at what our staff will recommend to this board. There are
people here from the Division of Wildlife, Mr. Chairman, who might want
to add to what I have said.

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Mr. Stapleton: Well,
that recommendation.
not?

for example there is probably no problem about
That was a fairly obvious one, is that right or

Mr. Sparks: There is the potential West Divide project on the Crystal
River. However, the decree for that project is senior to anything that
we would file. We don't have any decree at all, as yet. We do look at
potential effects on other water uses. We know we will have to work
out minimum stream flow requirements for any federal project.

Mr. Moses: Mr. Chairman.

Mr. Stapleton: Mr. Moses.

Mr. Moses: I think there has been a great deal of misconception about
the effects of state filing on minimum stream flows. It doesn't create
any water. If the natural flow is less than the minimum, there is
nothing we can do about that. And I see there on this particular chart
that in the winter time the minimum and natural are very close together.
All this does is give the state a tool to prevent further depletions
to the stream which might adversely affect whatever minimum stream flow
has been decreed.

Mr. Fetcher: Just to add to what you have said, will this present
adjudication exceed what the minimum stream flow is?

Mr. Moses: This is a 1975 priority and it takes its place in line with I
the rest of them. What it does prohibit is somebody in the future
making a change of point of diversion or a new appropriation which would
take the water out of the watershed and reduce the level of the stream
below the minimum.

Mr. Stapleton: I think maybe we ought to have some input from the
Divisioh of Wildlife. I think they would like to speak to that.

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