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<br />Summary <br />The information contained in this report and the associated instream flow file folder forms the <br />basis for staff s instream flow recommendation to be considered by the Board. It is staff s <br />opinion that the information contained in this report is sufficient to support the findings required <br />in Rule 5.40. <br /> <br />Colorado's Instream Flow Program was created in 1973 when the Colorado State Legislature <br />recognized "the need to correlate the activities of mankind with some reasonable preservation of <br />the natural environment" (see 37-92-102 (3) C.R.S,). The statute vests the CWCB with the <br />exclusive authority to appropriate and acquire instream flow and natural lake level water rights. <br />In order to encourage other entities to participate in Colorado's Instream Flow Program, the <br />statute directs the CWCB to request instream flow recommendations from other state and federal <br />agencies. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) recommended this segment of Fourmile <br />Creek to the CWCB for inclusion into the Instream Flow Program. Fourmile Creek is being <br />considered for inclusion into the Instream Flow Program because it has a natural environment <br />that can be preserved to a reasonable degree with an instream flow water right. The BLM is very <br />interested in protecting stream flows because Fourmile Creek is one of very few streams <br />managed by BLM in the Saguache Creek watershed that has flows capable of supporting a <br />salmonid fishery. <br /> <br />Fourmile Creek is a tributary of Saguache Creek and is approximately 9.5 miles long, It begins <br />at the crest of the Cochetopa Hills at an elevation of approximately 10,800 feet and terminates at <br />the confluence with Saguache Creek at an elevation of approximately 8,600 feet. Of the 2.0 mile <br />segment addressed by this report, approximately 40% of the segment, or 0,75 miles, is located on <br />federal lands, while the remainder of the segment, 1.25 miles, is located on private lands. The <br />creek is located within Saguache County. The total drainage area of the creek is approximately <br />26.2 square miles, Fourmile Creek generally flows in an easterly direction. <br /> <br />The subject of this report is a segment of Fourmile Creek beginning at the Rio Grande National <br />Forest boundary and extending downstream to the confluence with Saguache Creek. This <br />segment is located west of the town of Saguache, The staff has received only one <br />recommendation for this segment, from the Bureau of Land Management. The recommendation <br />for this segment is discussed below. <br /> <br />Instream Flow Recommendation(s) <br /> <br />BLM recommended 0,20 cfs (January I to December 31) based on its July 16, 1996, data <br />collection effort (see Appendix A). The modeling results from this survey effort are within the <br />confidence interval produced by the R2Cross model. <br /> <br />Land Status Review <br /> <br />Upper Terminus <br /> <br />USFS Boundary <br /> <br />Lower Terminus <br />Saguache Creek <br /> <br />Total Length <br />(miles) <br />2.3 <br /> <br />Land Ownership <br />% Private % Public <br /> <br />60% <br /> <br />40% <br /> <br />Approximately 40% of the reach is located on federal lands managed by the BLM the other 60% <br />is private land, <br /> <br />- 2 - <br />