WSPC05058

• File Number: 8040.950
• Description: Section D General Studies - General Water Studies
• State: CO
• Basin: Statewide
• Date: 7/25/1978
• Author: Unknown
• Title: Draft Publication for Water Study
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

OlP 301
. J .J.. ::J._

drinking and bathing is essentially non-consumptive, and therefore does

not reduce the amount of water available for other uses in Colorado.

Miles of Streams with Flows Sufficient to Maintain Coldwater Fisheries.

As pointed out above, the demand for maintenance of minimum stream

flows and the importance attached to instream values has grown substantially,

in recent years. The water study therefore includes an impact category

whose measure is the miles of stream which have flows sufficient to

maintain a coldwater (i.e., trout) fishery. This measure is also taken

to be an adequate indice of the general ecological integrity of a stream

and its immediately adjacent land area. No attempt has been made to

define an analogous impact category for warm water streams because the

data is inadequate, many of these streams are already subject to intermit-

tent flows, and the public places considerably less value on such warm

water streams.

Miles of Streams with Flows Sufficient for Whitewater Boating,

As a corollary to the above category, the water study also

includes an impact category whose measure is the miles of streams in

Colorado with flows sufficient to support seasonal rafting and kayaking.

It is necessary to have two impact categories for instream flow values

since the flows required for fishery habitat protection are generally

less than those required for kayaking and rafting.

Both of the instream flow impact categories are less than perfect

because they do not correlate stream flows with the amount of, or the

satisfaction derived from fishing, rafting, or kayaking. In other words,

if the regimen of a stream is altered by diversions for new water uses, it

/7