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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 />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 Big Beaver <br />Creek to the CWCB for inclusion into the Instream Flow Program. Big Beaver 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 the stream provides habitat for Colorado River <br />Cutthroat Trout, and BLM is working to prevent a listing under the Endangered Species Act. <br /> <br />Big Beaver Creek is approximately 11.0 miles long. It begins near Sleep Cat Peak at an <br />elevation of approximately 9,300 feet, and terminates at the confluence with the White River at <br />an elevation of approximately 7,000 feet. Of the 3.1 mile segment addressed by this report, 2.5 <br />miles, or 85% is located on federal lands. The creek is located within Rio Blanco County. The <br />total drainage area of the creek is approximately 34.1 square miles. Big Beaver Creek generally <br />flows in a southwesterly direction. <br /> <br />The subject of this report is 3.1 miles of Big Beaver Creek, from the confluence with Allen <br />Creek to the confluence with East Beaver Creek. This segment is located east of Meeker. The <br />CWCB already holds a 2.0 cfs instream flow water right on Big Beaver Creek from East Beaver <br />Creek to the inlet of Lake Avery (Big Beaver) Reservoir (Case No. 5-77W3652) and from the <br />outlet of Lake Avery to the confluence of the White River (Case No. 5-77W3652). The staff has <br />received only one recommendation on this segment, from the Bureau of Land Management. The <br />recommendation for this segment is discussed below. <br /> <br />Instream Flow Recommendation(s) <br /> <br />BLM recommended 2.9 cfs summer and winter based on its September 18, 1998, data collection <br />effort (see Appendix A). The modeling results from this survey effort are within the confidence <br />interval produced by the R2Cross model. <br /> <br />Land Status Review <br /> <br />Upper Terminus <br />Allen Creek <br /> <br />Total Length <br />Lower Terminus (miles) <br /> <br />East Beaver Creek 3.1 <br /> <br />Land Ownership <br />% Private % Public <br />15 % 85 % <br /> <br />Approximately 85% of the reach is located on federal lands managed by the BLM the other 15% <br />is private land. <br /> <br />- 2 - <br />