COLORADO RIVER STUDIED FOR WILD AND SCENIC DESIGNATION

Local Government, Water Users, TU Consider Alternatives

In 2006, the Bureau of Land Management began the process for considering designating portions of the upper Colorado and tributaries as a Wild and Scenic River. With input from CTU and many concerned citizens, the BLM concluded the first part of its assessment, determining which segments are eligible for designation, and classifying each segment as wild, scenic, or recreational.  BLM recently issued its final eligibility study, finding 27 segments to be eligible for designation, including portions of the Blue, Eagle, and Colorado, as well as several smaller tributaries (including some that support native Colorado River cutthroat trout). The agency is now evaluating which of these eligible segments will be considered “suitable” for designation, and will forward its recommendations to Congress. Actual designation requires an Act of Congress.

To be eligible for designation as Wild and Scenic, a river must be free flowing and contain at least one Outstandingly Remarkable Value (ORV) that is scenic, geological, recreational, fish related, wildlife related, historic, cultural, botanical, hydrological, paleontological, or scientific. Free-flowing does not mean a river can have no influence from dams and diversions, just that it is not impounded in the reach being assessed.

Colorado Trout Unlimited supports “suitability” findings for the 27 Wild and Scenic segments that were identified in the eligibility study. Wild and Scenic River designation would help preserve the fishery and recreational values of these rivers. The eligible segments include reaches of the Colorado River from Windy Gap through Glenwood Canyon, reaches that were found eligible based on their strong recreational fishing and boating values – including Wild Trout and Gold Medal water designations.

The possibility of Wild and Scenic designation for the Colorado River has drawn the attention of local governments and water users – some who are generally sympathetic to river protections, others who are most concerned about the impacts on water operations.  The Colorado River Water Conservation District has attempted to bring opposing interests together to see if they can develop a local river protection plan that could be offered as an alternative to Wild and Scenic.  CTU has participated in these meetings and is hopeful that a local plan to protect flows and habitat can be achieved. 

A similar effort involving CTU, Denver Water, and others resulted in adoption of the “South Platte Protection Plan” which provides minimum flows below Spinney, Elevenmile, and Cheesman Reservoirs, includes protective standards for management of Forest Service lands in the river corridor, and established a $1 million endowment to support projects benefiting the South Platte’s outstanding resource values.  It may be possible to achieve similar success on the Colorado, though the issues are more complex, based on the extent of water diversions from the Colorado, including major pipelines across the Continental Divide.

BLM hopes to complete its review by 2009.  In the coming months we will provide updates and information on when and how you can weigh in with decision-makers at BLM. For more information on the Wild and Scenic process for the Colorado River, contact either John Rosapepe, CTU Western Slope outreach coordinator, jrosapepe @tu.org, 970.465.3011 or Ken Neubecker, CTU Vice President, eagleriver @sopris.net , 970.376.1918.