WSPC01610

• File Number: 7630.285
• Description: Wild and Scenic - General
• State: CO
• Basin: Statewide
• Date: 6/18/1974
• Author: Unknown
• Title: Critical Issues in Colorado Relating to Wild Scenic and Recreational Rivers
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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and development of water and related land resources--in order

to give consideration and discuss potentials for national wild,

scenic, and recreational river designation. Again, no Colorado

rivers were included in the list.

Bills to create a system of state scenic and wild rivers were ,

put before the Colorado State Legislature in both 1970 and 1971.

State Senate Bill 278, introduced unsuccessfully into the Forty-

Eighth General Assembly, proposed a state system of 12 "wild rivers"

including the following: Gunnison (6-mile section in Montrose and

Delta ,Counties) , Piedra (lO-mile section in Archuleta County),

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Rio Grande (4-mile section in Hinsdale County), Green (3D-mile

section in Moffat County), South Fork of White (3-mile section in

Rio Blanco County), North Fork of the White '(IS-mile section in
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Rio Blanco and Garfield Counties), Grizzly Creek (9-mile section

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in Garfield County), Gunnison (Black Canyon of the Gunnison

National Monument), Conejos (3-mile section in Conejos County,

North Platte (3-mile section in Jackson County), Tarryall Creek

(4-mile section in Park County), and Purgatoire (lO-mile section

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in Las Animas County).

A total of 91 Colorado rivers and streams have been identified as

having recognized free-flowing values. Of these, the following

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13 rivers have been tentatively identified as having the highest

qualities, size, location, primitive character, and/or user

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priority for protection based on their aesthetic and scenic

populari ty:

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