BOARD01921

• Board Meeting Date: 1/25/2005
• Description: ISF Section - Instream Flow Appropriations - Williams Creek
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

STATE OF COLORADO

Bill Owens, Governor
DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES

DIVISION OF WILDLIFE

AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

Bruce McCloskey, Director
6060 Broadway
Denver, Colorado 80216
Telephone: [phone]

For Wildlife-
For People

December 15,2004

Mr. Dan Merriman and Mr. Todd Dohelty
Colorado Water Conservation Board
Stream and Lake Protection Section
1313 Sherman Street, Room 723
Denver, Colorado 80203

Re: Colorado Division of Wildlife Instream Flow Recommendations for Williams Creek.

Dear Dan and Todd,

The purpose of this lelter is to officially transmit the Colorado Division of Wildlife's Instream Flow
Recommendations for Williams Creek in Gunnison County. The reach of stream covered by this flow
recommendation is from the Private Property/Bureau of Land Management Land Boundary to the inlet of
Paonia Reservoir, a distance of approximately 1 mile.

In the fall of'1998, the Colorado Division of Wildlife (CDOW), with the assistance of staff from the Colorado
Water Conservation Board (CWCB), collected stream cross section information, natural environment data,
and other data needed to quantify Instream Flow needs for the Williams Creek, Field surveys indicate that
the stream environment is presently in stable condition, and could support a coldwater fishery. Channel
stability, bank stability, and substrate are good. This type of stream environment has steep gradients that
typically limit the available pool habitat and food supply. Accordingly, it is important to provide stream flows
that protect the limited amount of available habitat. Williams Creek is classified as a minor stream (between
4 to 9 feet wide) and fishery surveys of other streams tributary to Paonia Reservoir indicate the stream
environment of Williams Creek could support populations of White suckers, Sluehead suckers, Fathead
minnows, Speckled dace and Mottled sculpins.

The stream cross section data was analyzed using the R2CROSS program. The R2CROSS output was
evaluated using the methods described in Nehring (1979) and Espegren (1996). The CDOW has reviewed
the 'data collected to date and based on that review recommends that the CWCS appropriated the following
flow amounts to preserve the natural environment of the Williams Creek to a reasonable degree:

. 1.0 cubic feet per second is recommended year-round. This flow is required to maintain two of
the three principal hydraulic criteria of average depth, average velocity and percent welted
perimeter.

DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES, Russell George, Executive Director
WILDLIFE COMMISSION, Philip James, Chair. Jeffrey Crawford, Vice-Chair. Brad Pheips, Secretary
Members, Bemard Black . Tom Burke. Rick Enstrom' Claire O'Neal. Robert Shoemaker. Ken Torres
Ex Officio Members, Russell George and Don Ament