Laserfiche WebLink
<br />RECEIVED <br /> <br />t1Ay092IM <br />1IIIIII*a-~ IaMi <br /> <br /> <br />TROUT <br />UNLIMITED .. <br /> <br />April 29, 2004 <br /> <br />Mr. Rick Bro\Vl1 <br />Colorado Water Conservation Board <br />Statewide ,Water Supply Initiative <br />1313 Shennan Street, Rm 721 <br />Denver, CO 80203 <br /> <br />RE: SWSI thoughts and comments on Data and Projects <br /> <br />Dear Rick: <br /> <br />I appreciate the work that you,-the staffand CDM are doing for the SWSI, however-I <br />would like to reiterate. and expand on some of the concerns that 1. expressed last night at <br />the meeting in Glenw~.: Springs. <br /> <br />The river environment is my greatest concern, regardless of projects and alternatives that <br />might be built. Fish need water. They also need a healthy aquatic and riparian <br />ecosystem. Our west slope economy needs the fish as well in order to remain healthy. <br />Minimum In~stream flows are often inadequate or too Junior for complete protection of <br />stream reaches. The principals of Conserve, Protect and Restore (CPR) need to be <br />included in the Objectives and Performance Measures for all projects and alternatives.. <br />Adequate and optimal flows need to be required and a natural, seasonally varied <br />hydrograph must be incorporated into any projects management program.. <br /> <br />You have asked that we give you detailed infonnation concerning specific stream reaches <br />that are in trouble and the remedy required to conserve, protect or restore them in a more <br />than minimal degree. The level of detail that you have asked for, specific flows and flow <br />regimes for sPecific stream reaches could take years to develop basin wide and would not <br />be cheap. Obviously such a basin wide study and information will not be completed prior <br />to your fmal report, and you know it. It would be far more practical and prudent to study <br />stream reaches for individual projects and make recommendations at that time. Having <br />said that, I would strongly recommend that the CWCB, with other agencies and <br />organizations, begin a study of impaired and threatened stream reaches throughout the <br />State and establish the optimal flow regimes required to adequately Conserve, Protect or <br />Restore them. The study could begin with all of the CWCB'sin~stream flow holdings. <br />Most environmental organizations do not have the resources to undertake the detailed <br />