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?
Stagecoach Release Tracking through Instream Flow Reach 180 Yampa River below Stagecoach Yampa River above Lake Catamount 160 Yampa River above Lake Catamount w/o Release 140 120 Discharge (cfs) 100 80 60 40 20 0 20-Jun 30-Jun 10-Jul 20-Jul 30-Jul 9-Aug 19-Aug 29-Aug 8-Sep 18-Sep 28-Sep Date
Stagecoach Release Tracking to City of Steamboat Springs 160 Yampa River below Stagecoach Yampa River at Steamboat 140 Yampa River at Steamboat w/o Release 2002 Yampa River Flows at Steamboat 120 100 Discharge (cfs) 80 60 40 20 0 20-Jun 30-Jun 10-Jul 20-Jul 30-Jul 9-Aug 19-Aug 29-Aug 8-Sep 18-Sep 28-Sep Date
• 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 occurring between Lake Catamount and the City of Steamboat Springs and the cooperation of 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.
Elkhead Release Tracking to Maybell Gage 350 Release from Elkhead Yampa River near Maybell Estimated Reservoir Water at Maybell 300 Estimate flows at Maybell w/no release 2002 Yampa River near Maybell 250 200 Discharge (cfs) 150 100 50 0 25-Jun 5-Jul 15-Jul 25-Jul 4-Aug 14-Aug 24-Aug 3-Sep 13-Sep 23-Sep 3-Oct 13-Oct Date
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 La ke.
Call for Minimum Instream Flow on 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.
Elk River Flows and Steamboat Lake Release 160 Elk River near Milner Willow Creek below Steamboat Lake Minimum Instream Flow 140 2002 Elk River near Milner 120 100 Discharge (cfs) 80 60 40 20 0 30-Jul 9-Aug 19-Aug 29-Aug 8-Sep 18-Sep 28-Sep 8-Oct 18-Oct 28-Oct Date
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.
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