BOARD01037

• Board Meeting Date: 1/27/1999
• Description: WSP Section - Colorado River Basin Issues - 15-Mile Reach and Yampa River Endangered Fish Instream Flow Applications
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

Rick Anderson:

David Harrison:

All:

David Harrison:

Eric Kuhn:

Statement(?).

I

My name's Rick Anderson, I'm a aquatiC researcher in Fort Collins,
working primarily on instream flow issues. In the memo to the Board
from the Water Conservation Board there's a statement that the fifteen
reach of the Colorado River is viewed by the Service as critical in
recovering Colorado populations of squawfish and razorback suckers, and
based on my review of the current data and literature, most of that has
been collected by the Fish and Wildlife Service in the context of squawfish
populations, life history aspects, and there's been quite a bit of extensive'
sampling done over the last 10 years, but the Division of Wildlife concurs
that this reach of the river is critical for recovery, and that there is a
natural environment present, and that it can be preserved to a reasonable
degree with these water rights. Also listed in this memorandum are some
reports put out by the Fish and Wildlife Service of biologically defensible
flow recommendations stated in May 1989.. .recommendations for flows in
the fifteen mile reach from April 1991 and the most recent report,
relationships between flows and rare fish habitat in the fifteen mile reach
that was May 1995. I spent a considerable amount of time reviewing these
reports and familiarizing myself with the fifteen mile reach, the hydrology
and cQ.~ ch$~tsristics, I also reviewed the Fish and Wildlife attempt
to use te Slmm(?) to quantify flow recommendations in the fifteen
mile reach and I went and found their transect sites and looked over that
data that they collected in 1982. So I did put a considerable amount of
effort into reviewing these water rights and have concluded that they are
reasonable and that if these water rights are..in the motion are filed for,
then it will help preserve the habitat to a reasonable degree.

e

OK...any further questions? To the Division :If Wildlife? Thank YOl".
Rick. Are there any other matters to be questioned about the motion?
From the Board? Or any other comments from the public? If not, I'll
raise the question. All in favor, indicate by saying Aye.

Aye.

Opposed? Motion carries. Thank you all very much.

I want to mention one thing to the Board....on a Yampa River issue....we
did not, at the last board meeting, get to the Yampa River agreement
between the River District and the Board...there are some dates in there
that need to be modified, and I've asked Peter to check and see if we
couldn't do.. notice this and do a phone conference call to do it...I think
our board...the River District Board has already done it...and I think its
important to do this before the agreement expires on January 1st. So we'll
be doing that over the next month...its just a matter of getting a time when

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