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<br />OOOG5.3 <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Numerous conditional rights for water storage could dramatically alter the <br />hydrological characteristics of the river if they are exercised. Of these, the <br />1954 water right for the Juniper Project, held by the Colorado River Water <br />Conservation District, is the largest. This project would include Juniper <br />Reservoir, located on the mainstem of the Yampa River upstream of the WSA near <br />Maybell. In a 1989 study for The Nature Conservancy, it was determined that the <br />potential draft of these water rights would be 862,000 acre feet per year, or <br />nearly 75% of the annual flow of the river. (Wheeler, 1989) The River district <br />has maintained and supported these rights since they were decreed. <br /> <br />Long-term plans for developing the Juniper Project water rights are currently <br />being reformulated in response to threatened and endangered fish species present <br />in the Yampa River. Portions of the river, including the segment which flows <br />through Cross Canyon WSA, have been designated as critical habitat for endangered <br />fish species in the Upper Colorado Basin. The U.S Fish & Wildlife Service has <br />developed interim flow recommendations, which are specified in the table below. <br />The U.s. Fish and Wildlife Service has also requested that the Colorado Water <br />Conservation Board apply for an instream flow water right in the critical habitat <br />reach. <br /> <br />As a result of the listing of endangered fish species and subsequent critical <br />habitat designation, the joint federal-state government "Recovery Implementation <br />Program" is pursuing acquisition of a portion of the conditional Juniper Project <br />rights. These rights would be converted to instream flows to satisfy the amount, <br />timing, and location of water needed for ths endangered fish life cycle. As a <br />condition of the transfer, the Colorado River District has stipulated that <br />allowance for future water development be established. <br /> <br />The Colorado River District completed a comprehensive study in March 1993 which <br />evaluated alternatives for meeting future consumptive use and endangered fish <br />instream flow needs in the Yampa River watershed. The recommended alternative <br />includes enlargement of Elkhead and stagecoach Reservoirs. Up to 5,000 acre feet <br />of the enlarged storage would be released to increase streamflows during low-flow <br />period. Computer modeling of the recommended alternative resulted in the <br />following average flows at Deerlodge Park, located approximately seven miles <br />downstream from the WSA. <br /> <br />U.s. Fish & Wildlife <br />Flow Recommendation <br /> <br />Recommended Alternative <br />Flows in Year 2040 <br />(CO River Water Conservation District) <br /> <br />Oct <br />Nov <br />Dee <br />Jan <br />Feb <br />Mar <br />Apr <br />May <br />Jun <br />Jul <br />Aug <br />Sep <br /> <br />339 <br />385 <br />327 <br />327 <br />373 <br />659 <br />3,139 <br />7,856 <br />6,198 <br />1,161 <br />364 <br />254 <br /> <br />305 <br />374 <br />332 <br />324 <br />353 <br />612 <br />3,115 <br />7,292 <br />6,564 <br />1,561 <br />412 <br />201 <br /> <br />Water Rights Located UDstrelUll of WSA <br /> <br />The area upstream of the WSA incorporates several large watersheds. Major water <br />rights within these watersheds are identified below, grouped in the following <br />manner: 1. Yampa River mainstem from the WSA boundary to Milner 2. Major Yampa <br />River tributaries located downstream from Craig 3. Williams Fork <br />4. Fortification Creek 5. Elkhead Creek 6. Fish/Trout Creeks 7. Upper Yampa <br />River 8. Elk River <br /> <br />67 <br />