Water Storage Will Be Studied in Interim

TELLURIDE – The San Miguel County Commissioners voted 2-1 at a special meeting last week in Norwood to recommend that the Colorado Water Conservation Board file for an instream flow water right on the lower San Miguel river in January 2011.

The right would designate minimum flows in a 16.5-mile stretch of the river located in Montrose County that reaches from Calamity Draw west of Naturita to the Dolores River confluence.

Its primary purpose is to prevent three dwindling species of native fish from being listed for federal protection under the Endangered Species Act.

“This board is completely supportive of instream water flows; I’d love to be able to do it right now,” said Commissioner Art Goodtimes who voted in favor of the decision with Commissioner Elaine Fischer.

“But there are unintended consequences” that justify delaying the decision for another year so that more information can be gathered, he said.

“I feel like we have all the information we need already,” said Commissioner Joan May, who cast the dissenting vote.

The State’s Instream Flow Program tries to reconcile human activity with environmental preservation and gives the CWCB the authority to acquire instream flow and natural lake level water rights for purposes of environmental protection.

The recommendation made by the SMC Commissioners to delay the filing was the same as the recommendations made to the CWCB by the Montrose County Commissioners and the Southwest Water Conservation District Board. Its purpose is to provide time to figure out the possibilities for off-stem water storage throughout the watershed.

However, “I want action taken; I don’t want delay for delay’s sake,” said Fischer.

The recommendation to delay the filing did little to satisfy those in strict opposition to the water right.

“We’re opposed to instream flow rights,” said Dave Alexander, who spoke on behalf of a group of water users that last year commissioned its own study of stream flows after the CWCB made its recommendation based upon research provided to it by the Colorado Division of Wildlife and the Bureau of Land Management.

Nor were environmentalists who would like to see the minimum flows established sooner rather than later to help preserve the imperiled fish and their habitat pleased.

“It feels as if the recommendation that was based on an ecological target and doing something good for the river is being put on hold to find other ways to store and use water ahead of the environment and that’s disappointing,” said Peter Mueller, director of the Nature Conservancy’s North San Juan Mountain Program.

Somewhere in the middle, however, the Telluride Ski and Golf Co., which has an interest in the issue for how the filing could impact its future snowmaking operations, liked the idea.

“The real need here is for a storage strategy that can address both the environmental needs, the ranchers and the ski area needs simultaneously,” said Telski Chief Executive Officer Dave Riley.

The delay would provide time to figure that strategy out, he said.

Ultimately the commissioner’s recommendation is just that – the decision will ultimately be made by the CWCB at its January meeting.

Nonetheless, “It carries considerable weight,” said Linda Bassi, Chief of the CWCB’s Stream and Lake Protection Section. “The CWCB pays attention to local government.”