BOARD01052

• Board Meeting Date: 1/27/1999
• Description: WSP Section - Colorado River Basin Issues - Unified Watershed Assessment - National Context
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

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WHAT ARE AQUATIC RESOURCE GOALS?
In Colorado, the criteria depend on whether the aquatic resource goals in a watershed are met. Aquatic
resource goals are more than in-stream chemical water quality, and include at ieast three
considerations:

. Are the standards and ciassified uses of surface water in Colorado currently attained?
. Do the physical structure of the stream (riffles, runs, pools, etc.), riparian areas, and contributing
land area demonstrate stability and health, as appropriate for the type of water body?
. Is the habitat for aquatic species of concern or threatened and endangered aquatic species
stable, degraded, or improving?

INTERSTATE COORDINATION
Since Colorado is a headwater state, other states have expressed an interest in how the state-line
watersheds are categorized. Consuitation with the assessments completed by Utah, Nebraska and
Kansas have identified several watersheds that were categorized differently than Colorado. Colorado
opted to use the "majority" rule: the category determined by the state with the larger part of a state-line
watershed is the category that will be used in Colorado.

WATERSHED RESTORATION PRIORITIES

The Clean Water Action Plan declares that, "States and tribes working with appropriate agencies,
organizations, and the public define watershed restoration priorities, with special attention to watersheds
most in need of restoration and protection through the year 2000". The USDA and EPA in various letters
and guidance have included the following features which states should consider in watershed restoration
priority setting:

. Identifying the highest priority watersheds requiring restoration, but not limited to those
established by the section 303(d) total maximum daily load process of the Clean Water Act:
. coordination with existing restoration priorities, but not limited to those established by the section
303( d) totai maximum daily load process of the Clean Water Act;
. develop a preliminary schedule for the loner-term efforts to restore the watersheds in need of
restoration.

This prioritization process is tobe applied to the Category 1 Watersheds (Watersheds in Need of
Restoration), and is to produce two lists. The first list is for Category 1 watersheds that are most in need
of restoration" beginning in FY 1999 - 2000 for targeted funding, and a second list of Category 1
watersheds for future funding. The EPA has also asked that the second list of watersheds be
categorized from highest priority to lowest priority.

The WQCD and NRCS, on September 22,1998. convened a meeting of the same agencies and entities
which assisted in gathering the data for the UWA to consider how best to prioritize Category I
watersheds. The following criteria were selected by that group for utilization in determining the priorities
for targeted funding in FY 1999-2000: .
. watersheds listed on the 303(d} list which are targeted for TMDL development in the first
biennium, which would benefit from funding activities; -- watersheds listed on the 303(d} list
which are under-way in producing, TMDLs and which would benefit from funding activities:
. watersheds listed on the 303(d) list which are identified as high priority for TMDL activities by the
Federal Land Management Agencies; -- watersheds where funding efforts for water quality
improvement are underway and additional funding is needed.

Copies of the compiete report are available upon request.
ATTACHMENT

L:/boardmemlJan 99/21jan99u.doc

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