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. . ." ~ > OO~i99 . .i1.... . 'L. .~ (,Ie DRAFT PHEL ;\f1!NARY PROPOSED CRITERIA FOR SELECT NG NATIONAL STUDY RIV&;~r-()sf-S ONLY,. .' '. . FOR DISCUSSIOf.J l'U,;i"C. 1. National Significance - Does the river and its immediate environ~ent possess the outstandingly remarkable characteristics and free-flowing values called for in the National "Wild and Scenic Rivers Act." Would the river complement the existing National Wild and Scenic Rivers System ~d, therefore, be important to ~he cation. as a whole. 2. Scarcity - How many other rivers of similar type and quality are protected in'the State or region? Is the river unique or-ane of a kind? The value of the river. may be largely dependent upon its Qegree of scarcity. 3. Proximity to Population Centers - The distance to population centers and the resultant demand for river-oriented recreation' opportunities is a significant factor. Generally, with all other things being equal, the river closest to population centers should be'given higher con~ . sideration. 4. . Adequate Stream Flow - Does the waterway maintain at least the basic amount of flow necessary to insure that vegetation and wild~ife qualities are protected? Hopefully, although not absolutely necessary, this base . flow will be such that enough water is in the waterway for adequate float trips and other normal river recreation uses for the majority of the year. a. Impoundments - The type of impoundment located along a waterway is a factor in the overall doWnstream scenic quality of the waterway. Seldom are th~aesthetic and recreational characteristics of an impoundment of such outstanding quality as to counterbalance the resulting disruptive nature of such a feature. Those impoundments purely for flood control and irrigation purposes are not usually compatible with downstream scenic watervmy elements because their release schedule is only periodic, not daily, as impoundments for power purposes normally are. b. Channelization - Channelization of a river destroys most of the properties of a scenic waterway. Therefore, whe~e channelization occurs to any extent, it usually removes a watercourse from consideration. s. Water Quality - The recreational experience derived from a wild, scenic or recreational waterway depends to a large extent on the appearance and smell of the water. Therefore, appearance and smell are major water quality criteria. This does not remove a river that currently has poor water quality, but that could be cleaned up in the future, from being a candidate for classification into the system. However, it must be recognized .that an awareness of pollution (even though not apparent in sight or smell) on the part of the waterway user will detract from the overall experience. r I