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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 staffs instream flow recommendation to be considered by the Board. It is staffs <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 />Tecognized "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 otheT entities to participate in Colorado's Instream Flow Program, the <br />statute diTects the CWCB to Tequest instream flow Tecommendations from otheT state and federal <br />agencies. The Bureau of Land Management Tecommended this segment of Potter Creek to the <br />CWCB for inclusion into the Instream Flow Program. Potter Creek is being consideTed fOT <br />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 Potter Creek provides spawning habitat for sensitive species <br />and supports a diverse riparian community. <br /> <br />Potter Creek is 19.2 miles long. It begins near Columbine Pass on the Uncompahgre Plateau at <br />an elevation of approximately 9,100 feet and terminates at the confluence with Roubideau Creek <br />at an elevation of approximately 5,200 feet. The entire 9.0-mile segment addressed by this report <br />is located on federal lands. Potter CTeek is located within Montrose County. Potter Creek <br />generally flows in a northeasterly direction. <br /> <br />The subject of this report is a segment of Potter Creek beginning at the BLM-USFS Boundary <br />and extending downstTeam to confluence with Roubideau Creek (see Map Appendix D). The <br />proposed segment is located southwest of Delta. The staff has Teceived only one <br />recommendation for this segment, from the BLM. The recommendation for this segment is <br />discussed below. <br /> <br />Instream Flow Recommendation(s) <br /> <br />BLM Tecommended 4.0 cfs, summer, and 1.8 cfs, winter, based on its June 4 and June 5, 2003, <br />data collection efforts (see Appendix A). The modeling Tesults from this survey effort are within <br />the confidence interval produced by the R2CTOSS model. <br /> <br />land Status Review <br /> <br />Upper Terminus <br />BLM-USFS <br />Boundary <br /> <br />Total Length <br />Lower Terminus (miles) <br /> <br />Roubideau Creek 9.0 <br /> <br />Land Ownership <br />% Private % Public <br /> <br />0% <br /> <br />100% <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 Teported in the letter from BLM to the CWeB <br />"Fishery surveys mdlcate that the stream envIronment is presently III stable condItion, and <br />supports a self-sustaining speckled dace fishery. This stream also provides spawning habitat for <br /> <br />- 2 - <br />