BOARD00778

• Board Meeting Date: 11/25/2002
• Description: WSP Section - White River Flow Recommendations
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

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STATE OF COLORADO

Colorado Water Conservation Board

Department of Natural Resources
1313 Sherman Street, Room 721
Denver, Colorado 80.203
Phone: [phone]
FAX: [phone]
www.cwcb.state.co.us

MEMORANDUM

Bill Owens
Governor

TO:

Greg E. Walcher
Executive Director

Colorado Water Conservation Board Members

FROM:

Rod Kuharich
CWCB Director

Randy Seaholm, Chief, Water Supply Protection
Andy Moore, Water Supply Protection

Dan McAuliffe
Deputy Director

DATE: November 14,2002

SUBJECT: Agenda Item 13, November 25-26, 2002, Board Meeting-
Water Supply Protection - White River Flow Recommendations

Backl!round

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) released a draft report for White River flow
recommendations in Utah and Colorado in August 2002. The report consists of two separate studies,
one concerning high channel-maintenance flows, and another involving a recommendation for base
flows. The results of these two studies are then combined into an inteirated flow recommen<;lation.
The draft report has been through a peer review process, with two of the reviewers being Rick
Anderson of the Colorado Division of Wildlife (CDOW) and Doug Osmundson of the USFWS. The
Biology Committee of the Recovery Program has yet to meet to discuss the draft report.
The purpose of the report is to develop year-round flow recommendations that protect the
Colorado pikeminnow and its habitat in the White River, where the catch rates for the Colorado
pikeminnow are the highest in the Upper Colorado River Basin. The density of the Colorado
pikeminnow is estimated to be two to three times higher in the White River than in the Yampa River.

Discussion

The first study (Report A - Geomorphic Analysis in Support of a Channel-maintenance Flow
Recommendation for the White River near Watson, Utah) was prepared by Utah State University.
The staff of the Fish and Wildlife Service's Colorado River Fish Project in Vernal, Utah prepared
the second study (Report B - Base Flow Recommendations for Endangered Fishes in the White
River, Colorado and Utah). The flow recommendations generally concern the White River from its
confluence with Green River to Taylor Draw Reservoir near Rangely, .Colorado. However, the
channel-maintenance flow analysis involved only the river reach near Watson, Utah. The combined
flow recommendations from the two reports include the following:

· When spring runoff flows exceed 1413 cfs, all flows should remain in the channel for the
purpose of channel maintenance.

Flood Protection. Water Supply Planning and Finance. Stream and Lake Protection
Water Supply Protection. Conservation and Drought Planning