BOARD00820

• Board Meeting Date: 7/26/2006
• Description: ISF Section - Pine River Proposed Water Donation - La Plata County
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

. As long as the agreement is in place, the CWC8 agrees not to apply for a new inslream flow water righl on
the Pine River downstream from Vallecito Reservoir.

Current Vallecito Reservoir Water Rlahts:

.

The water rights for Vallecito Reservoir were decreed on March 7, 1966 in Case No. 81245 with a priorily date of
November 13, 1935, Appropriation Priority No. 1965-1, for 129,674 acre-feet rAF"), absolute, for storage for
irrigalion, domestic, stock water, and other beneficial uses by parties lawfully entitled to Ihe enjoyment Ihereof and
for the purpose of supplying domestic and olher beneficial use to Ihe Towns of Bayfield and Ignacio.

PRID owns an undivided 5/6ths (108,062.25 AF) of the Vallecito water righls and the U.S., in trust for the Tribe and
others, owns an undivided 1/61h (21,612 AF) interest.

In Case No. W-1603-76D, Ihe Tribe was decreed its proportionate share of the 1/6 interest in Vallecito, held in trust
by the United States. The share of Vallecito water rights owned by the U.S. is referred to as the Tribe's.

Exlstlna Instream Flow Water Rlahts

The Board does not hold instream flow water rights on the subject reach of the Pine River downstream from
Vallecito Reservoir. However, the Board does hold an instream flow water right on the Pine River upstream from
Vallecito Reservoir which was decreed in 1984.

Case No. Stream Segment

7-84CW283 Los Pinos River Lake Creek to Vallecito Res.

Amount lcfs)
32 cfs

Approp. Date

7-13-1984

Proposed Method of Acauisltlon:

PRID and the Tribe intend to provide releases of stored water and .
"certain Vallecito Deliveries" to the Board for instream flow use to
preserve or improve the natural environment. The Board will have
a contract right to the use of water provided by PRID and Ihe
Tribe.

Proposed Use of the Water Riaht:

The Board may use the acquired water to preserve and improve
the natural environment of the Pine River downstream from
Vallecito Reservoir up to the amounts specified in Ihe agreement.

Proposed Reach of Stream:

Summer Instream Flow Reach . Pine River from the outlet of
Valleeito Reservoir, downstream approximately 12 miles 10 the
Highway 160 Bridge near Bayfield.

Winter Instream Flow Reach - Pine River from the oullel of
Vallecito Reservoir downstream approximately 19.5 miles to Ihe
confluence with Dry Creek.

Exlstlna Natural Environment:

CDOW has classified the Pine River as a "large River" (over 100
feet wide). The river supports self-sustaining Brown and Rainbow
Trout populations. In addition, Ihe river supports populalions of
MaUled Sculpins, Speckled Dace, White Suckers, Bluehead
Suckers and Flannelmoulh Suckers In the lower reaches.

Flow Reaime:

Streamflow in the Pine River is controlled by releases of water
from Vallecito Reservoir for irrigation, municipal, domestic and

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