BOARD00910

• Board Meeting Date: 7/13/1998
• Description: CF Section - Feasibility Studies - Ryan Gulch Reservoir Co. - Request for Feasibility Study Grant
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

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Cocor""o 1nstre41'" J:low ...,,( Wcltwr.d ""ke Level Prosr..",

Vol ~ ,"ICe 1

Jwl" 1998

Donations important to ISF Program

In 1973, the Colorado General Assembly created the Instream Flow
and Natural Lake Level Program (ISF Program) and vested the
Colorado Water Conservation Board ((wCB) .... with the exclusive
authority, on behalf of the people of the state of Colorado, to appropri-
ate... such waters of natural streams and lakes as the Board determines
may be required for minimum stream flows or for natural surface water
levels or volumes for natural lakes to
preserve the natural environment to
a reasonable degree."
Today, the Board has appropri-
ated instream flow water rights on
more than 8,000 miles of streams and
'~6 natural lakes. Under the ISF
~rogram, the Board is also autho.
rized to acquire water. Such water is
left in the stream to provide a reason.
able degree of preservation for
Colorado's water-dependent natural
environment.
During the past 25 years, the
Board, with support from both the
water-using community as well as
environmental organizations, has
judiciously and effectively carried out
its mission. In recent years, however,
increased public awareness about the
importance of preserving Colorado's
streams for their environmental and
social values has inspired the Board
to examine other alternatives.
One of these alternatives is to
strengthen the Water Acquisition
Program (WAF), thereby acquiring
senior water rights to supplement the
existing instream flow (IS F) water
';~hts or use them as a source to
.ppropriate new ISF rights.
The WAP is one of the most
important features of the ISF
Program. A 1986 amendment to the

statutes clarified the existing laws and authorized the Board to acquire
water, water rights or interests in water for instream flow purposes to
preserve the natural environment to a reasonable degree.
Lack of funds, however, has limited the Board's acquisition activi-
ty. Thus far, all acquisitions have been through donation. In recent
years, several municipalities and environmental entities have donated
valuable water rights or interests in
water to the Board.
These include the City of
Boulder, donating up to 15 cfs on
Boulder Creek; the Nature
Conservancy, donating 300 cfs on the
Gunnison River; the City of
Steamboat Springs, donating 200
acre-feet on Fish Creek; the
Conservation Fund, donating up to
6.2 cfs on Snowmass Creek; and the
City of Aspen donating up to 12 cfs
on Castle Creek.
In addition, the Board has
entered into special lease agreements
with other governmental agencies,
such as the Bureau of Land
Management and Colorado Division
of Parks and Outdoor Recreation,
where leased water is used to supple-
ment existing ISF water rights.
Last but not least, individual
citizens can also donate water to the
Board. For example, in 1997, the
Board received a donation from Mrs.
Nancy Hoelzen, which will be used
for a new appropriation on Hot
Spring Creek near Steamboat
Springs.
In summary, the WAP pro.
vides an opportunity for the Board to
improve the priority of its instream
flow water rights and/or establish
continued on page 3

Donations are expected to play an increasingly impor-
tant role as the Instream Flow Program continues to
develop into the next century. Snowmass Creek near
Aspen, shown above, will benefit from a 1936 water
right donated in 1997 by The Conservation Fund. The
donated water right is part of a larger conservation pro-
ject that will also preserve agriculture and open space
along the rapidly developing Highway 82 corridor.