BOARD01567

• Board Meeting Date: 5/1/1975
• Description: Agenda or Table of Contents, Minutes, Memos
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Meeting

few minutes, I will appreciate that.

Now, we will go to consideration of the ID1n1mum stream flow appropriations
for the Crystal River that are listed on the agenda item No.2. This is
in effect a continuation of these considerations which we undertook at
our meeting in Denver a few months ago. Larry, will you tell us what
has happened in the ensuing months, and the recommendations of the
staff in this regard?

Mr. Sparks: Mr. Chairman, members of the Board, this was sent to you
under date of April 9 a recommendation by the staff concerning minimum
stream flow appropriations on the streams named. Several of these
streams, namely Beaver Creek and Crystal River, have been put over from
previous meetings. The two principal recommendations here concern the
Crystal River and the Dolores River. On the Dolores River, these
recommendations have been worked out in accordance with the operating
criteria for the authorized Dolores project. To the extent that the
water supply is available, releases will be made from the McPhee Res-
ervoir to maintain a live stream below the reservoir. A good part of
the year, at the present time, that stream goes entirely dry below the
diversion point of the Montezuma valley Irrigation Company. The project
is deSigned to provide some storage specifically for live stream
releases below the dam. However, the seventy-eight second feet will not
always be available because of the rather limited water supply on the
Dolores River.

For the Crystal River, this is the same recommendation that was presented
to the Board at the previous meeting. It was put over for additional
study. We have here the same charts that we showed to the Board at
the earlier meeting. These charts reflect the average maximum flow,
the average flow, and the minimum flow on a monthly basis as recorded
at the various guaging stations on the Crystal River. You will note at
the bottom this is portrayed the recommended minimum stream flow, which,
in most months is quite a bit less than the average minimum stream flow.

In looking at these charts, it has to be remembered that there are
times or days in which the stream gets lower than the average minimum
stream flow, and there are days when it gets higher than the maximum
stream flow. The charts reflect only an average, and do not reflect
wide daily fluctuations. It is the recommendation of the staff that
these minimum stream flow appropriations be initiated. They are based,
in every case, upon rather extensive studies of these streams made by
the Colorado Division of Wildlife, and in some cases, the Bureau of
Sports Fisheries and Wildlife.

Are there any questions, Mr. Chairman, or members of the Board?

Mr. Burr: I would like to ask a question -- is one hundred second feet,
is that just keeping the fish alive, the one hundred and eighty second
feet, is that a meaningful flow at a certain time?

Mr. Sparks: Yes. You will notice these flows are broken down in some
cases into two different periods -. the one hundred second feet is the

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