Division 6 Water Resources Erin Light, P.E. Division Engineer - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Division 6 Water Resources Erin Light, P.E. Division Engineer

Sustaining Environmental River Flows

• Stagecoach Reservoir release under a contract

with the Colorado Water Trust (CWT)

• Elkhead Creek Reservoir release under the

Endangered Fish Recovery Program

• Steamboat Lake release by CPW in conjunction

with CWCB for the spawning of Mountain Whitefish

• CWCB instream flow call on Elk River

Stagecoach Reservoir Releases

• CWCB owns an instream flow water right on the

Yampa River between its confluence with Morrison Creek and the inlet of Lake Catamount.

• CWCB instream flow water right is for 72.5 cfs from

April 1 through August 14 and 47.5 cfs from August 15 through March 31.

• A temporary loan was entered into with CWCB for

4,000 AF and was approved on July 11, 2012.

• One of the conditions of approval was that water

was to be released first for hydropower use.

• Despite the fact that the loan had not yet been

approved, releases from the reservoir began on June 28 at a rate of 26 cfs.

Protection of Releases by DWR through ISF Reach

• Starting July 11, DWR staff began protecting the

reservoir water through the instream flow reach.

• There are only four active structures located

between the outlet of Stagecoach Reservoir and the inlet of Lake Catamount.

• When the releases began on June 28 only two of

these structures were diverting water and on July 11 one of these two structures was shut off due to an inoperable headgate.

• Below Lake Catamount this water was then

available for diversion by other water users.

Protection of Water to and through Steamboat Springs

• It was the interest of many people to have the additional

water remain in the Yampa River below Lake Catamount to at least the City of Steamboat Springs.

• In this stretch, between Lake Catamount and Steamboat

Springs, there are approximately twenty (20) active structures.

• At the time of the release from Stagecoach, water was

not being diverted by most of these structures. However for those structures still diverting, the majority of owners were contacted and asked to voluntarily lower their headgates (if not a pump) into the water so as to not divert the additional water added to the system through the reservoir releases.

How successful was the loan for water from Stagecoach Reservoir in providing additional environmental flows to the Yampa River?

20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 20-Jun 30-Jun 10-Jul 20-Jul 30-Jul 9-Aug 19-Aug 29-Aug 8-Sep 18-Sep 28-Sep Discharge (cfs) Date

Stagecoach Release Tracking through Instream Flow Reach

Yampa River below Stagecoach Yampa River above Lake Catamount Yampa River above Lake Catamount w/o Release

20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 20-Jun 30-Jun 10-Jul 20-Jul 30-Jul 9-Aug 19-Aug 29-Aug 8-Sep 18-Sep 28-Sep Discharge (cfs) Date

Stagecoach Release Tracking to City of Steamboat Springs

Yampa River below Stagecoach Yampa River at Steamboat Yampa River at Steamboat w/o Release 2002 Yampa River Flows at Steamboat

• Because of the minimal diversions occurring

between Stagecoach and Lake Catamount, the water released was successfully protected through the instream flow reach.

• Additionally, because of the minimal diversion
• ccurring between Lake Catamount and the

City of Steamboat Springs and the cooperation

• f water users to not increase their diversions

so as to pick up reservoir water, the release of water from Stagecoach substantially increased the Yampa River flows through the City.

Elkhead Creek Reservoir Releases

• Since the completion of the enlargement of Elkhead

Creek Reservoir in 2006 water has been released under the Endangered Fish Recovery Program every year and DWR has protected these releases each of these years with the exception of 2011.

• 2012 was no different. Between July 2 and October 9 a

total of 6,580 AF was released from the reservoir for in- river fish habitat.

• This water was successfully protected by DWR from the

reservoir through the Critical Habitat Reach.

50 100 150 200 250 300 350 25-Jun 5-Jul 15-Jul 25-Jul 4-Aug 14-Aug 24-Aug 3-Sep 13-Sep 23-Sep 3-Oct 13-Oct Discharge (cfs) Date

Elkhead Release Tracking to Maybell Gage

Release from Elkhead Yampa River near Maybell Estimated Reservoir Water at Maybell Estimate flows at Maybell w/no release 2002 Yampa River near Maybell

Steamboat Lake Releases

• Mountain Whitefish are native only to the Yampa and

White River basins in Colorado.

• Because of the diminished flows in the Elk River and

actual staging of Whitefish in the lower reaches of the Elk River, CPW in conjunction with CWCB elected to release water from Steamboat Lake on September 28.

• The release was intended to increase river flows and

improve the spawning runs of the Whitefish.

• Releases ran through October 20.
• Approximately 600 AF of water was released from

Steamboat Lake.

Call for Minimum Instream Flow

• n Elk River
• CWCB’s instream flow water right is decreed

for 65 cfs year round.

• The call was honored and administered from

August 16 through October 12 and October 19 through October 28, 2012.

• The flows in the Elk River were extremely low

despite DWR’s efforts to administer the CWCB call.

20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 30-Jul 9-Aug 19-Aug 29-Aug 8-Sep 18-Sep 28-Sep 8-Oct 18-Oct 28-Oct Discharge (cfs) Date

Elk River Flows and Steamboat Lake Release

Elk River near Milner Willow Creek below Steamboat Lake Minimum Instream Flow 2002 Elk River near Milner

Water Released for Irrigation and Environmental Purposes

• Water released for irrigation use totaled

approximately 12,600 AF.

• Water released for environmental purposes

totaled approximately 11,100 AF.