BOARD00929

• Board Meeting Date: 11/9/1992
• Description: Agenda or Table of Contents, Minutes, Memos. Partial.
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Meeting

. lO/JO/92 11:23

'5'303 294 08i4

CQ_DIV_ WILDLIFE

Ii!lOOUUO-l

.

STATE OF COLORADO
Roy Romer. Governor
DePARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES

DIVISION OF WILDLIFE
AN eQUAl. OPPORTUNITY li'MPI,.OYER
~srry D. Olson. Director
6080 BrClsdway
Denver. Colorado 80216
relephone: f303J 297-1192

Dan Merriman, Chief
Water Rights Investigation Section
COlorado Water Conservation Board
1313 Sherman Street, suite 721
Denver, Colorado 80203

REFER TO

October 29, 1992

RE: Fish creek Reservoir Enlargement project

Dear Dan:

As requested by the Board at their August special meeting and
as a result of the statement of opposition that was ratified at the
September meeting, I have conducted an investigation of the
inundation impacts of the above referenced project. The following
represents the Division of Wildlife's recommendations regarding
this issue.

.

On August 19, 1992, I conducted a-field reconnaissance of the
Fish Creek Reservoir project. After a short meeting with Dan Birch
of the City of Steamboat Springs I visited the reservoir site. The
reservoir was down approximately five feet in elevation; as I
understand from information - provided to me by Mr. BirCh, the
reservoir was being drained. .so that geotechnical studies could
proceed during the latter part of the summer. DiVision field
personnel have informed me that at the present time-the reservoir
has been completely drained.

The City proposes enlarging the existing Fish Creek Reservoir
by approximately 2200 acre feet. This increase in water surface
elevation results in the inundation of short reaches of two
instream flow water-rights held by_ the Board; a 4 cfs instream flow
on Granite Creek and a 2 cfs instream flow on the Middle Fork of
Fish Creek. The water rights for this 2200 acre foot enlargement
are junior to the CWCS's water rights. A conditional water right
for the first 2000 acre feet was obtained without a statement of
opposition from the cwes as the issue of .inundation had not yet
been brought to the attention of the Board. The remaining 200 acre
feet were recently filed for in Water Division 6 and the C~qCB
ratified a statement of opposition to this filing at the September,
1992 meeting.

.

Prior to the draining of the reservoir, city of Steamboat
Springs personnel surveyed the proposed high waterline for the
enlarged facility. They placed a marker on each of the streams in
question at the location of the new high waterline. They did not
delineate what portion was as a result of the .2000 acre foot
enlargement already decreed by the water court and what was the new
200 acre foot filing to which the CWCS is a party. That being the

OEPAATMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES, Kennelh Selaza" ExecullveOlrSClor
WILO~JFE COMMISSION, William R, Hegbe'g. Member' Eldon W. Coo~er. Chairman' Fell. Chavez, Member . Rebecca L. Frank. Member

louis F. Swift. Member. George VanOen8erg; Me"'be' . Laity M; Wright, Member. Thomas M. e....e. Member