BOARD00851

• Board Meeting Date: 11/23/1998
• Description: ISF Section - Instream Flow Subcommittee Draft Report
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

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Instream Flow Subcommittee Summary Report
First Draft
November 19, 1998

In May 1995, the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) adopted a revised Long-Range
Plan which included goals and objectives for environmental conflict resolution. One of the Long
Range Plan objectives included a provision for "program evaluation" by establishing an Instream
Flow Advisory Committee. This Instream Flow Advisory Committee was comprised of
representatives from water development, environmental and wildlife interests with local, state
and federal agencies for the purpose of identifying significant public concerns and to provide
strategies for addressing identified concerns relating to the CWCB's Instream Flow/Natural Lake
Level Program (ISF Program).

A subcommittee of the CWCB was created to assist in implementing this objective. The CWCB
members serving on this committee are: David Smith, Y ampa- White drainage; Eric Kulm, Main
Colorado drainage; Janice Sheftel, San Miguel-Dolores-San Juan drainages; Patricia Wells, City
and County of Denver; and Alan Hamel, Arkansas drainage.

TIlls report summarizes the findings of the ISF Subcommittee.

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Issue Identification
The ISF Subcommittee held its first meeting on April 30, 1996. The Subcommittee decided to
adopt an informal process that encouraged issue identification through open discussion. It was
also decided that several more meetings would be needed to iden~fy "significant public
concerns", and that, following those meetings, an additional series of meetings may be necessary
to identify strategies for the CWCB's consideration in addressing those concerns.

The Subcommittee's second meeting was held June 6, 1996. At this meeting, ISF Program staff
provided participants with an overview of ISF program areas and a summary of Board policies
and procedures within each of these program areas. The meeting participants worked with a
facilitator to develop a list of issues and concerns for discussion at future meetings. From this
list, the group selected topics for further discussion during breakout sessions at the 21 st Annual
Colorado Water Workshop to be held in Gunnison, August 7-9. The purpose of the breakout
session discussions was to enhance the Subcommittee's existing efforts to obtain public input on
program lIl1d policy issues related to the ISF Program.

The Subcommittee's third public meeting was held November 8, 1996. The purpose of this
meeting was to explain the current methodologies used by the eWCB to quantify instream flows
for fish and to explore new means of quantifying the instream flow requirements of other water
dependent natural environments and uses, The Subcommittee also instructed staff to prepare a
report summarizing the public concerns that have been raised to date, and include preliminary
program recommendations that would address the concerns.

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