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<br /> <br />IN REPLY REbbl{ TO: <br /> <br />United States Department of the Interior <br /> <br />BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT <br />Colorado State Office <br />2850 Younglleld Street <br />Lakewood, Colorado 80215-7093 <br /> <br /> <br />www.co.blm.gov <br /> <br />CO-932 <br />7200 <br /> <br />Mr. Dan Merriman <br />Colorado Water Conservation Board <br />1313 Shennan Street, Room 721 <br />Denver, Colorado 80203 <br /> <br />~ <br />t)~C \ % <br /> <br />Dear Mr. Merriman: <br /> <br />The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is writing this letter to formally communicate its instream flow <br />recommendation for Green Creek, located in Water Division 2. <br /> <br />Location and Land Status. The Green Creek watershed is located approximately 8 miles west of Salida. <br />The stream reach which was surveyed begins at the confluence with an wmamed tributary to Green Creek and <br />runs 6.3 miles downstream to the confluence with the South Fork of the Arkansas River. Approximately 92 <br />percent of the reach is comprised of public lands, while the remaining 8 percent is in private ownership. <br /> <br />Biological Summary. Fishery surveys indicate that the stream enviromnent is presently in stable condition <br />and supports a self-sustaining brown trout fishery. It is also possible Green Creek provides spawning and <br />nursery habitat for the fish population in the South Fork Arkansas River. Substrate and cover are good for <br />salmonids. 1bis lype of stream enviromnent has steep gradients that typically limit the available pool habitat <br />and food supply. Accordingly, it is important to provide stream flows that protect the limited amount of <br />available habitat if the continued existence of the fishery is to be assured. <br /> <br />R2Cross Analysis. BLM's data analysis, coordinated with the Division of Wildlife, indicates that the <br />following flows are required to protect the fishery and natural environment to a reasonable degree: <br /> <br />. 3.90 cubic feet per second is recommended for the April 1 to October 31 high temperature period. <br />This recommendation is driven by the wetted perimeter and velocity criteria. Meeting the wetted <br />perimeter criteria is important for insuring that young-of-the-year fish have adequate physical habitat <br />at the edges of the stream in slower waters, while meeting the velocity criteria insures that adult fish <br />have good habitat conditions in deeper parts of the channel. <br /> <br />. 1.90 cubic feet per second is recommended for the November 1 to March 31 low temperature period. <br />Maintaining adequate velocity is important for maintaining ice-free rimes for fish passage during the <br />icing period in the winter. <br /> <br />i I <br />