BOARD02099

• Board Meeting Date: 5/20/2002
• Description: CWCB Director's Report
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

Kansas between the Operations Secretary and Assistant Operations Secretary, While there was a very good
exchange of information and discussion of the differences, most of these accounting issues will not likely be
resolved until after the upcoming trial is completed, Colorado did offer a couple of resolutions for Kansas to
consider that would resolve two major issues, Also, Kansas did not object to Lamar's continued use of John
Martin Reservoir to help manage Fryingpan-Arkansas Project water for another year. Thus, there was some
progress and we remain hopeful that the several years of backlog in the approval of annual reports can be
cleaned up over the next year or two,

Kaw Nation Letter: Attached is the letter sent to the Kaw Nation conceming their request for federal
reserved water rights from Colorado,

Pueblo RICD: The Pueblo RICD hearing has been set for July 21. This will be the fust hearing on a RICD
since the passage of Senate Bill 216, We toured the area of the proposed kayak course with City officials on
May 3, This matter will be discussed at the Board meeting,

Army Corps Permitting Workshop: On April 1 our Stream and Lake Protection staff participated in a
Corps workshop regarding 404 permitting, The Staff gained some needed insight into the Army Corps of
Engineers processes regarding nationwide and individual permitting relating to RICDs,

Walcher Requests Flows For Upper Arkansas: On April 24 DNR Executive Director Greg Walcher sent a
letter to Reclamation's Eastem Colorado Project's Office recommending flows for the Upper Arkansas River
as part of the 2002-2003 flow program, In the letter, Walcher outlined several DNR priorities where flows
will help maintain a downstream fishery, spawning habitat, recreational use during low flow periods, and
improve brown trout feeding conditions late in the season, between Labor Day and October 15,

Walcher's letter makes specific recommendations for flows at different times of the year. The top priority is
maintaining 250 cubic feet per second (cfs) as a minimum flow level throughout the year to protect the
fishery, Walcher also requested flow rates between 250 cfs and 400 cfs from April 1 to May 15 "to provide
conditions favorable to egg hatching and fry emergence,"

During the critical low flow period between July 1 and August 15, 700 cfs released from the Frying Pan-
Arkansas Project is requested to augment flows for river rafting - a major contributor to the state and local
economy, Walcher also made it clear that DNR would like to see no more than a 10-15 percent daily
fluctuation in flows,

"The cooperation we have seen between DNR, local govemments, water users, the Southeastem Colorado
Water Conservancy District (SECWCD), the BOR, and the US Bureau of Land Management has created a
situation where recreation, wildlife, and the local economy can all be improved - while protecting existing
water rights," said Walcher.

Endangered Fish Released: Six hundred fish from the Native Aquatic Species Restoration Facility have
made the transition from the hatchery to the wild, The fish are the fust ones raised entirely in captivity at the
Colorado Division of Wildlife's facility near Alamosa, The 300 Arkansas darters and 300 southem redbelly
dace were placed in ponds at the Hugo State Wildlife Area in eastem Colorado last week.

Darters and dace are tiny fish that are native to waters in eastem Colorado, but only survive today in small
isolated populations, As a result, the state of Colorado lists southem redbelly dace as an endangered species
while Arkansas darters are included on the state's threatened list.

The species lives in drainages connected to the Arkansas River in Colorado, Kansas, Missouri and
Oklahoma, In addition to being listed in Colorado, they are also on the tlueatened and endangered lists in
Kansas and Oklahoma,

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