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<br />e <br /> <br />e <br /> <br />e <br /> <br />of those projects have experienced high flows, including floods of record in some cases. <br />Nevertheless, the CWCB has limited direct experience with projects of this kind. There will be <br />some learning by the staff about technical details of restoration design and restoration <br />construction. Care is being taken during the preparation of the Scope of Work to identify key <br />questions that need to be asked and answered to adequately address uncertainties. Initial findings <br />regarding the pilot projects that have already been implemented on the river offer good reasons <br />for optimism about substantially improving the condition of the Alamosa River, at least in the <br />proj ect reach. <br /> <br />Additional Information for Board Members <br /> <br />At the May 22 - 23 Board meeting, Board members will receive additional information about <br />this project. On Monday afternoon there will be a presentation by the Water Conservancy <br />District to explain the river situation and the project. On the Tuesday morning field trip Board <br />members will receive an Alamosa River handout describing the project and the three specific <br />stopping points. It is hoped that both ofthese opportunities will help Board members understand <br />what is being undertaken and why it is being undertaken. <br /> <br />When the project Scope of Work has been finalized, staff will update Board members about it. <br />Once project design and construction begin, regular updates will be provided. These updates will <br />include photographs, and if appropriate, videotape footage of construction. <br /> <br />One additional piece of information has been included with this memorandum. The Sunday, <br />May 7, 2000 issue of The Denver Rocky Mountain News featured a long cover story on the <br />Summitville gold mine. The mine is located in the headwaters of the Alamosa River watershed. <br />It has been tied by many to the decline in water quality at Terrace Reservoir, which is at the <br />upstream end of the Alamosa River Watershed Project (ARWP). The cover story provides a <br />comprehensive discussion of the events leading up to acid spills into the watershed and the <br />impacts resulting from those spills. <br /> <br />Terrace Reservoir can be considered a dividing line of sorts. Upstream of the reservoir, and in <br />the reservoir itself, the watershed faces water quality impacts, tied in part to activities at <br />Summitville. Some of those water quality impacts have also been experienced in the project <br />reach, below Terrace Reservoir. Additionally, the portion of the river downstream of the <br />reservoir faces the charmel stability impacts described above. <br /> <br />Water quality impacts from mining and river stability impacts from charmelization are separate <br />issues. The ARWP is not intended to resolve conditions related to mining activities. <br />Nevertheless, both categories of impacts appear to be related to declines in fish populations <br />downstream of the reservoir and to agricultural use of the river downstream of the reservoir. It is <br />the hope of the ARWP sponsors that their project will, when combined with watershed <br />restoration work being performed upstream of Terrace Reservoir, contribute to improvements in <br /> <br />3 <br />