Laserfiche WebLink
<br /> <br />IN REPLY REFER TO: <br /> <br />United States Department of the Interior <br /> <br />BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT <br />Colorado State Office <br />2850 Youngfield Street <br />Lakewood, Colorado 80215-7093 <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />www.co.blm.gov <br /> <br />CO-932 <br />7250 <br /> <br />DEe 20 2002 <br /> <br />Mr. Dan Merriman <br />Colorado Water Conservation Board <br />1313 Sherman Street, Room 721 <br />Denver, Colorado 80203 <br /> <br />Dear Mr. Merriman: <br /> <br />The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is writing this letter to formally communicate its <br />instream flow recommendation for Thomas Creek, located in Water Division 5. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Location and Land Status. Thomas Creek is tributary to the Crystal River approximately three <br />miles south of Carbondale. The stream reach that was surveyed starts at the outlet ofSt. John <br />Reservoir and extends 1.8 miles to the headgate of Lewis Ditch. The creek flows through a <br />mixture of public and private lands. Approximately one half mile, or 28 percent of the reach, is in <br />BLM ownership. <br /> <br />Biological Summary. Fishery surveys indicate that the stream environment is in improving <br />condition, and supports a self-sustaining rainbow trout and cutthroat trout fishery. Channel and <br />bank stability, substrate, and water quality are excellent for salmonids. However, the low number <br />of pools and suboptimal cover are limiting factors for fish habitat, underscoring the importance of <br />adequate flows to prevent further stress to the fish population. <br /> <br />R2Cross Analysis. BLM collected one data set on this creek, and the resulting recommendations <br />are within the confidence interval for the R2Cross model. BLM's data analysis indicates that the <br />following flows are required to protect the fishery and natural environment to a reasonable <br />degree: <br /> <br />2.5 cubic feet per second is recommended for the May 1 to October 31 high temperature <br />period. This recommendation is driven by the wetted perimeter criteria. Meeting this <br />criteria is important, because additional diversions from the creek could cause a critical <br />shortage of physical habitat. <br /> <br />e- <br />