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<br />! <br /> <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 Gamer Creek <br />to the CWCB for inclusion into the Instream Flow Program. Gamer Creek is being considered <br />for inclusion into the Instream Flow Program because it has a natural environment that can be <br />preserved to a reasonable degree with an instream flow water right. The BLM is very interested <br />in protecting stream flows because Gamer Creek is one of the few streams managed by BLM on <br />the eastern side of the San Luis Valley that is capable of supporting a salmonid fishery. <br /> <br />Gamer Creek is 8.0 miles long and terminates on the floor on the San Luis Valley. It begins on <br />the western flank of Thirsty Peak at an elevation of approximately 11,400 feet and terminates on <br />the floor of the San Luis Valley at an elevation of approximately 7,700 feet. Of the 1.2 mile <br />segment addressed by this report, approximately 70% ofthe segment, or 0.8 miles, is located on <br />federal lands, while the remainder of the segment, 0.4 miles, is located on private lands. The <br />creek is located within Saguache County. The total drainage area of the creek is approximately <br />14 square miles. Gamer Creek generally flows in a southwesterly direction. The subject of this <br />report is a segment of Gamer Creek beginning at the Forest Service Quantification Point (USFS <br />QP) 53G4 and extending downstream to the Gamer Creek Ditch. <br /> <br />The proposed segment is located southeast of Villa Grove. The staff has received only one <br />recommendation for this segment, from the Bureau of Land Management. The recommendation <br />is discussed below. <br /> <br />Instream Flow Recommendation(s) <br /> <br />BLM recommended 2.4 cfs (May 1 st through October 31 st) and 0.6 cfs (November 1st through <br />April 30th) for this segment (see Appendix A). The modeling results from these survey efforts <br />are within the confidence intervals produced by the R2Cross model. <br /> <br />land Status Review <br /> <br />USFS QP 53G4 <br /> <br />Lower Terminus <br />Gamer Creek <br />Ditch <br /> <br />Total Length <br />(miles) <br /> <br />1.2 <br /> <br />Land Ownership <br />% Private % Public <br /> <br />Upper Terminus <br /> <br />30% <br /> <br />70% <br /> <br />Approximately 70% of the reach is located on federal lands and 30% of that land is managed by <br />the BLM, the other 30% is private land. <br /> <br />Biological Data <br /> <br />The BLM has conducted field surveys of the fishery resources on this stream and have found a <br />natural environment that can be preserved. As reported in the letter from BLM to the CWCB <br />- 2 - <br />