BOARD02355

• Board Meeting Date: 3/26/2001
• Description: Severance Tax Trust Fund Operational Account
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

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152

6. Multi-objective Projects

Grantee/Contractor: North Fork River Impro~ement Association (NFRIA), Water
Conservancy Districts, Counties (Conejos, San Miguel, Montrose), Towns (Antonito, Manassa,
Telluride, Norwood, Nucla, Naturita), CWCB, Colorado Division of Wildlife, NRCS, USGS,
U.S. Forest Service

Amount of Request: $50,000

Product Produced: I) For the North Fork of the Gu;nnison a quantitative study of the river's
trends toward channel migration and channel instability to develop a sediment budget to guide
ongoing and future river restoration projects; .

2) For the Conejos River a four-part watershed analysis: a) a study of erosion/instability
problems, floodplain problems, irrigatiol1 supply facility problems, and riparian habitat
problems; b) a compilation of those problems into a list of specific river problems and their
causes; c) the establishment of priorities of those rive~ problems; and d) the provision of
altemative response strategies to deal with the problerl1s;

3) For the San Miguel River a three-part watershed atXalysis: a) a review of previous watershed
studies to prioritize river problems that have been ideI'ltified (including irrigation supply and
distribution problems, riparian habitat problems, water recreation concerns, and floodplain and
debris flow problems); b) the development of alternative strategies for addressing the highest
priority problems; and c) the assembly of a plan of specific river improvements for improving
river condition at the high priority problem locations. . ,

Water Planning Relationship: I) NFRlA is commi~ed to preservation of the protection and
enhancement of agriculture along the North Fork of the Gunnison River through improvements
to the river's condition; NFRlA'swork has involved pnvate-public partnerships and a watershed.
wide multi-jurisdictional approach to the river. Undel-standing the historic and current sediment
balance in the river is critical to understanding the current river condition problems, to
developing strategies for addressing those problems and to quantitatively evaluating the value of
specific strategies as they are implemented.

2) Watershed problems in the Conejos River waters~ed have been recognized by local entities,
but the watershed has not been comprehensively studied. For many years Conejos County has
asked the CWCS for floodplain maps and for technic~1 assistance with floodplain matters.
Recently the NRCS requested CWCB assistance in developing a comprehensive watershed
analysis. The purpose of that analysis would be to begin describing river problems in detail,
identifYing causes of those problems, and offering al1:ernative response strategies. Much of the
upstream watershed is managed by public entities and much of the downstream river corridor is
in private hands. For that reason, the relationship betWeen watershed management in the
upstream public landholdings and the downstream pF/-vate landholdings will be an important
element of this study. !
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3) The San Miguel River originates in the high mouiltains near the resort community of
Telluride and flows through or near agricultural com#lunities of Norwood, Nucla, and Naturita,
which function in part as agricultural communities in: their own right and which also serve as
bedroom communities for Telluride. The downstream portions of the watershed are more arid
than the upstream portions, so the different regions of the watershed must work together. Local
interests have already recognized the need for regiO~lll watershed planning and have been