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<br />, <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br /> <br />Impact of Tamarisk Infestation on the <br />Water Resources of Colorado <br />May 30. 2003 <br /> <br />1.0 Introduction <br /> <br />This document is prepared for the Colorado Department of Natural Resources' Water <br />ConservatioQ Board to provide a basic understanding of the tamarisk problem in Colorado and <br />specifically its impact on the state's water resources. Funding for this work was provided by the <br />Conservation Board to the Tamarisk Coalition to prepare this report. This report should be <br />considered a beginning point to the general understanding of the tamarisk problem and should <br />not be considered to be a complete scientific review of the literature. There are still several areas <br />of research needed to complete the understanding of the problem throughout the West with <br />legislative efforts within the U.S. Congress on several bills (H.R. 695 and S. 1051) directed at <br />filling these critical research gaps. The specific areas ofimportant research for Colorado's <br />interests are highlighted throughout this document and could be supported by these legislative <br />actions. <br /> <br />Background <br /> <br />Rivers, streams, lakes, and ponds are highly prized in the western U.S. for their recreation, fish <br />and wildlife, and cultural values, as well as for their economic values that stem from their use for <br />water supply, livestock production, and agriculture. The adjacent areas known as the "riparian" <br />lands are equally valued for the same reasons (USDlIUSDA 1998). Although riparian lands <br />make up a small percentage of total land area in the West, they are essential for maintaining <br />water quality and quantity, for ground water recharge, for erosion control, and for dissipating <br />stream energy during flood events (NRST 1997). Unfortunately, much of these water systems <br />and associated riparian lands have been severely degraded over the past 150 years by both man <br />and invasive plant species, resulting in poorer water quality, less water availability, and habitat <br />loss. <br /> <br /> <br />Of particular interest is the invasive plant species tamarisk, also known as saltcedar. Scientists <br />with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have stated that. . . tamarisk infestation has <br />reached epidemic proportions and is one of the greatest disasters to ever befall native riparian <br />areas in western United States (DeLoach 2000). <br /> <br />Why should we be concerned about this tamarisk infestation? <br /> <br />Tamarisk (Tamarix spp.) is a deciduous shrub/small tree that was introduced to the western U.S. <br />in the early nineteenth century from Central Asia and the Mediterranean for use as an <br />ornamental, in windbreaks, and for erosion control. Tamarisk is well suited to the hot, arid <br />climates and alkaline soils common in the western U.S., and has escaped cultivation to displace <br />native vegetation. It gradually became naturalized along minor streams in the southwest and by <br />the mid-twentieth century, tamarisk stands dominated low-elevation (under 6,500 feet) river and <br /> <br />3 <br />