BOARD01665

• Board Meeting Date: 3/22/2005
• Description: ISF Section - Table Rock Properties, LLC ‎(Case No. 5-03CW331)‎ - Injury with Mitigation Proposal
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

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aquatic/riparian/wetland interaction edge essential for macroinvertebrates
Restoration reconnected a number of floodplain and streamside wetlands in the
Rock CNek corridor with water flow and saturation due to grade changes
provided

The type of restoration completed has been proven to increase trout numbers and standing crop
while maintaining or increasing the macroinvertebrate numbers, standing crop and diversity in
numerous Rocky Mountain streams over the past 10 years.. We have completed dl'tAhases that
show such results on the Blue River above Green Mountain Reservoir, Blue River below Green
Mountain Reservoir, Big Creek (YampaRiver Drainage), and the mainstemofthe San
Juan(Archuleta County).

The recently reclaimed oxbows on Rock Creek require diversion ofwaters from the creek into the
oxbow to mRintam the biota present. During the non-irrigation season and when Rock Creek
Flows reach 10 cIS, diversion of water into the reclaimed natural oxbow will require a sharing of
the flows in order to protect all of the aquatic biota resident to Rock Creek (approximately 3
years out of 16 as estimated by Western Water Consultants; Table 4).

The condition offisheries in Rock Creek is of critical concern to both the owners of the Table
Rock Ranch as well as the State of Colorado. The proposal to share flows of Rock Creek to
adequately protect all of the biota and habitat now Iocated within the Table Rock Ranch is unique
but not unprecedented To assure the State of Colorado that the biota continues to be protected
under this agreement, Table Rock Ranch proposes to monitor the fisheries and macroinvertebrates
two out offive subsequent years after an agreement is reached. Monitoring would include
qUAntitative fishery sampling including relative fish species ab\lntI..nce, standing crop, length
ftequency and macroinvertebrate monitoring using the Biotic Condition Index (Wmget and
Mangum, 1979). The resuIts of sampling will be compared to the existing dat..hase that was
developed on Rock Creek prior to the completion of the restoration work.

Results of Monitoring 2004:

In Fa112004 monitoring was completed to develop a dllWoose that describes improvements that
were achieved on Rock Creek.. Monitoring included re-survey of7 river cross sections, re-
evaluation in Rock Creek using the US Forest Service's ChamJeI Stability rating technique and the
Trout Habitat Assessment teclmique, completion of six: R2 Cross stre8m cross sections, and
completion of two macroinvertebrate stations cont..ining 3 samples each. R2 Cross stream cross
sections were co-operatively completed by the Colorado Division of WIldlife (4) and Western
Water Consuhants (2). Results of sampling from 2004 were compared to resuhs observed in
2002. Sampling locations can be viewed on Figure 1 (Project and sample site location map).

Stream Cross SectioDS:

The results of stream cross sections completed in 2004 were superimposed on cross sections
taken at the same locations in 2002. Resuhs of these surveys are illustrated for each station in
Appendix I and in Table 1.