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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 Cottonwood <br />Creek to the CWCB for inclusion into the Instream Flow Program. Cottonwood 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 Cottonwood Creek is one of the few streams in this <br />area on BLM lands that supports a self-sustaining fishery. <br /> <br />Cottonwood Creek is approximately 13.0 miles long. It begins near Cottonwood Pass at an <br />elevation of approximately 9,800 feet, and terminates at the confluence with the Colorado River <br />at an elevation of approximately 6,050 feet. Of the 2.2 mile segment addressed by this report, <br />0.9 miles, or 40%, is located on federal lands. The creek is located within Eagle County. The <br />total drainage area of the creek upstream of the Anderson Ditch is approximately 13.7 square <br />miles. Cottonwood Creek generally flows in a northwesterly direction. <br /> <br />The subject of this report is 2.2 miles of Cottonwood Creek, from the confluence with Slaughter <br />Spring Gulch to the headgate of Anderson Ditch. This segment is located south of Dotsero. The <br />staff has received only one recommendation on this segment, from the Bureau of Land <br />Management. The recommendation for this segment is discussed below. <br /> <br />Instream Flow Recommendation(s) <br /> <br />BLM recommended 1.7 cfs, summer, and 1.3 cfs, winter, based on its August 25, 1998, data <br />collection effort (see Appendix A). The modeling results from this survey effort are within the <br />confidence interval produced by the RlCross model. <br /> <br />Land Status Review <br /> <br />Upper Terminus Lower Terminus <br />Slaughter Spring Gulch Anderson Ditch <br /> <br />Total Length <br />(miles) <br />2.2 <br /> <br />Land Ownership <br />% Private % Public <br />60% 40% <br /> <br />Approximately 40% of the reach is located on federal lands managed by the BLM. <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 for this reach of stream in the BLM letter <br />to the CWCB "Fishery surveys indicate that the stream environment is in stable condition, and <br />supports a self-sustaining brook trout fishery. Spawning substrate, cover, and food availability <br />are good for salmonids. However, pools are limited in this reach, underscoring the importance of <br /> <br />- 2 - <br />