TU's Jason Willis Wins Watershed Award

Trout Unlimited's Mine Restoration Field Manager, Jason Willis, was awarded with the 2016 Excellence in Project Implementation award from the Water Quality Control Division – Non-Point Source Program (NPS) at the Sustaining Colorado Watersheds Conference on October 10-13. The award was for work on finishing up the Kerber Creek project on June 30, thus closing out two phases of 319 Non-Point Source grant funds. The project includes restoring just under 11 miles of stream through installation of in-stream and bank stabilization structures, as well as treatment and revegetation of over 85 acres of mine tailings along the floodplain. This puts the restored portion of Kerber Creek at 43% of the total 25 miles in length from headwaters to confluence with San Luis Creek.

"It's gratifying to receive an award like this from a partner organization in front of all of my peers at the Sustaining Colorado Watersheds Conference, especially when there are so many other talented people working in this field," said Willis. "It also means a lot to TU because not only does it highlight a great project achievement, it also recognizes the ability of Trout Unlimited to conceptualize and carry-out successful mine reclamation clean-up projects."

TU is currently working on three other NPS funded projects on the Illinois Gulch (Breckenridge), Evans Gulch (Leadville), and Leavenworth Creek (Georgetown) watersheds. The Environmental Protection Agency describes Non-Point Source Pollution as pollution that, "results from land runoff, precipitation, atmospheric deposition, drainage, seepage or hydrologic modification. NPS pollution is caused by rainfall or snowmelt moving over and through the ground. As the runoff moves, it picks up and carries away natural and human-made pollutants, finally depositing them into lakes, rivers, wetlands, coastal waters and ground waters."

Along with the three NPS programs, there are mine reclamation efforts taking place at the Akron Mine (White Pine), Minnie Lynch Mine (Bonanza), and Santiago/Waldorf Mines (Georgetown) in conjunction with the U.S. Forest Service, other agencies, and private partners such as Freeport McMoRan and Newmont Mining. All of these projects encompass improving water quality by reducing non-point source contamination through the use of applicable best management practices.

"There is a lot of work to do here in Colorado and the western US, so hopefully this is the first of many awards to follow in the name of improving our water quality."

Live Plants Mean Live Streams

A lot of the on-the-ground conservation work done by Trout Unlimited and its chapters involve planting willows or other stream-side vegetation to help the river. But how do plants on the land exactly affect the stream?

Most of the vegetation work done by TU projects involve planting Willow Trees. The reason behind the Willow is that they are a durable plant for fluctuations in their surrounding environment. Willows are able to absorb chemicals that may hurt the water quality, stabilize soil, and grow in saturated areas.

Planting Willows is a big part of the Fraser Flats Habitat project as the willows and other native plants improve bank stability and provide cooling shade along this open meadow stretch of the Fraser River. The shade allows for trout to seek cooler water when flows are lower or air temperature is higher.

Willows are not the only plant commonly used on river banks to help stream quality, the best plants are the native plants. And on the contrary, invasive plants could be the worst. Russian Olives have been being removed by TU and other partners along the stream due to the negative effects they cause.

At the Colorado TU Youth Camp, campers helped remove Russian Olive Trees from the the banks of the Purgatoire River. Russian Olives deplete the water resource by consuming large amounts of water while also limiting human and animal use of the waterway.

Native plants work best on streams for obvious reasons as they have been adapted to the environment around them. Plants that don't use a lot of water, but offer shade to the trout and micro-invertebrates allow streams to remain healthy. A lot of native plants are also able to withstand higher flow rates and don't break off into the stream in case of a flood.

Plants are also available to provide a food source for species in the aqautic ecosystem, (as well as the the entire ecosystem). Especially the micro-invertebrates that trout rely on. These bugs find their food source in the riparian zone- the area between the upland zone (the area of the watershed that does not receive regular flooding by a stream) to the aquatic zone, the area of the stream channel covered by water, controlling the flow of water, sediment, nutrients, and organisms between the two.

Fraser Flats Habitat Project

Grand County residents have been at the forefront of water issues in the West. They were the water supplier of the first major trans-mountain diversion project in Colorado and since then have been supplying water to Front Range municipalities. These diversions have also led Grand County residents and Trout Unlimited to be at the forefront of a new initiative- Learning by Doing. Learning By Doing (LBD) is a collaborative group of water stakeholders — including water utilities, nonprofit organizations and county agencies — that meet regularly to monitor river health and undertake projects that safeguard Grand County’s home waters.

LBD has already solved some issues including sending additional flows in Ranch Creek, Vasquez Creek and the Fraser River to benefit aquatic life. Full operation of LBD is expected to start in 2018 when approximately $2 million and 1,000 acre-feet of water will be dedicated to the cooperative effort after final permits are obtained.

Although full operation hasn't begun, the pilot program of LBD was launched this fall as the Fraser Flats Habitat Project. The project plans to improve a degraded 0.9-mile reach of the Fraser River just south of County Road 83. The project builds on restoration of the river upstream on the North 40 and in the Town of Fraser. Fraser Flats will extend improvements to fish habitat on the river.

Fraser Flats combines adjoining public and private sections to maximize efficiencies in costs and to set the stage for future public-private partnerships that benefit river health. County Road 83 will also open for public access and fishing when the project is completed.

The total cost for the project is $200,000 and is funded by a combination of funds committed by LBD cooperative efforts from Grand County, LBD partner contributions, a private landowner, and a Fishing Is Fun grant from Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

Design and permitting is currently underway and revegetation of the reach will begin in the Spring of 2017. In fall 2017, construction in the river will take place. That work will concentrate flows into a narrower channel and provide a series of riffles and pools to enhance fish habitat.

If you're interested in helping volunteer to plant willows, you can sign up here.

Animas and Hermosa show good signs for Trout

Two recent Durango Herald Articles talk about the improvements of the Animas and the future of Hermosa Creek. Trout Unlimited has been on the forefront on both of these positive subjects. The Animas River has shown signs of improvement as the fish population is providing "encouraging" signs. As the Animas continues to face adversity and hardship from acid mine drainage, low water flows, urban runoff, and higher temperature, Colorado Parks and Wildlife biologists have seen encouraging signs.

Over the last decade population studies on the Animas have shown a decline. Although this year there wasn't a turn around, CPW Biologist Jim White told the Durango Herald, "It's been a really nice fish year. It’s definitely been more abundant than years past.”

The study showed more young brown trout were able to survive over winter. Rainbow trout also had plentiful numbers meaning the survival rate was rising. The amount of quality trout- 14 inches or higher- doubled from last year's study.

“There is promising news about the current condition of the fishery, even in this first summer after the ‘spill,” said Ty Churchwell, Trout Unlimited Backcountry Coordinator. “With that said, none of this should diminish the fact that we have a major problem in the top of the watershed with draining mines and poor water quality. The Animas gorge below Silverton remains a ‘dead’ stretch of river, and we have lots of work to do to make this watershed healthy as a whole.”

While the Animas is improving, the future of Cutthroat Trout in Hermosa Creek also have a bright future as stream improvements have been made to prepare for Colorado River Cutthroat reintroduction.

Vegetation was planted and spawning areas were made along the stream to sustain a healthy future Cutthroat population.

At the October Board Meeting, participants will be able to take a tour of Hermosa Creek. The tour will focus on sites with the native trout project and visit some habitat improvements, tour participants will walk away with a better understanding of what it takes to work together and pull off a truly comprehensive conservation program.

Fish-friendly irrigation: flood or sprinkler?

By Brian Hodge In Trout Unlimited’s work with ranchers and farmers of the Upper Colorado River Basin, we often hear arguments about the relative benefits of flood and sprinkler irrigation for stream flows and fish.

Proponents of flood irrigation note that it requires a producer to divert more water from a stream than the crop can consume, and that unused irrigation water provides a benefit to fish because it returns to the stream when flows are otherwise low.

Meanwhile, proponents of sprinkler irrigation note that it requires a producer to divert little more from a stream than the crop demands, and that water left instream provides a benefit to fish because it maintains flows when water would otherwise be diverted.

But which is correct—in other words, does flood or sprinkler irrigation provide a greater benefit to fish in the Upper Colorado River Basin?

The short answer is, it depends.

In some cases, return flows from flood irrigation provide delayed benefits to streams and fish.  A research group from the University of Wyoming recently concluded, for example, that late-summer return flows from flood irrigation are critical to the brown trout fishery in the New Fork of the Green River (Blevins et al. 2016).  Moreover, the authors posited that if ranchers in the watershed improve efficiency by converting from flood to sprinkler irrigation, late-season streams flows will drop, and with them, the density (pounds/mile) of brown trout.  The authors also suggested that perpetuating flood irrigation in the Upper Green River Basin might be an effective way to maintain its healthy trout streams.

Although flood irrigation return flow can provide delayed benefits to fish, not all return flows reach streams at a time and in an amount necessary to confer a benefit.  An important assumption in the New Fork study was that water diverted in early-summer returned to streams later that season.  Our own analyses suggest that lag time on the western slope of Colorado can range from as little as days or weeks to as much as months or more.  Lag time on surface return flow (e.g., water flowing across a saturated field) is typically very short, whereas lag time on sub-surface return flow is highly variable and largely dependent upon the groundwater flow rate and distance between field and stream.  In some cases, return flows are intercepted and used by other irrigators.

In our thinking, fish- and flow-related benefits are intimately tied and dependent on a number of variables.  A 25% boost to flows in August, for instance, when flows are typically low and temperatures warm, could be quite meaningful for fish.  In contrast, a 5% increase in discharge in mid-fall or early-spring, when flows are low to moderate and temperatures cool but not cold, could go undetected by fish.  In short, the fish-related benefits of return flow (or lack thereof) depend on a number of factors, including the timing and amount of return flow, stream conditions, and the biology of the fishes in the stream.

Irrigation efficiency improvements, such as conversions from flood to sprinkler irrigation, can provide fish-related benefits where the short-term effects of leaving water instream outweigh the long-term benefits of taking it out.  Consider an example where the current regime is flood irrigation and the lag time on return flows is on the order of days or weeks.  In this case, there is little if any delayed benefit: water leaves from and returns to the stream in relatively short order.  In the meantime, more water is diverted from the stream than is required to meet crop demand, and consequently, stream flows and fish habitat are reduced between the point of diversion and point of return.  Also, return flow water—especially that on the surface—is likely to be warmer and more nutrient-rich than the source stream.  Here, a simple efficiency improvement could improve flows and water quality below the point of diversion.

Because each agricultural operation and watershed is different, TU tends to avoid generalizations about flood and sprinkler irrigation. The truth is, fish-related goals might be attained with flood irrigation in one watershed, and with center pivot sprinklers in another.  At the end of the day, the best solution is the one that works for both agricultural producers and fish.

Brian Hodge is a fisheries biologist and restoration coordinator for Trout Unlimited in the Upper Colorado River Basin.

Gold King Mine Added to Superfund List

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) placed the Gold King Mine and 47 other nearby sites on the Superfund cleanup list. These sites, all within the Bonita Peak Mining District, deposit an estimated 5.4 million gallons a day of heavy metal drainage into creeks within the Animas and San Juan river basins. The Superfund cleanup is a federal program that would allocate funds for the investigation and cleanup of some of America's "ticking time bombs" that would hinder human health and the environment.

"The Bonita Peak Mining District site consists of 48 historic mines or mining-related sources where ongoing releases of metal-laden water and sediments are occurring within Mineral Creek, Cement Creek and the Upper Animas. Near Silverton, Colorado, these drainages join to form the Animas River, which is used for drinking water, recreation and agricultural purposes," according to the EPA listing. "Contaminants found in these sources and in the surface water include arsenic, cadmium, copper, manganese, zinc, lead and aluminum. These contaminants impact fisheries that are harvested for human consumption, as well as wetlands and habitat for the threatened Canada lynx."

The Bonita Peak Mining District being added to the Superfund list is a step in the right direction that would help protect headwaters from mine drainage. Currently 40 percent of headwaters in the Western United States are affected by hard rock mining drainage. The TU-led San Juan Water Coalition has been fighting to address this issue by pushing for Good Samaritan legislation that would help clean up even more abandoned mines not addressed by the Superfund.

“Anglers and sportsmen strongly support this process,” said Trout Unlimited San Juan Mountains coordinator Ty Churchwell in a Denver Post article. “We’ll monitor the progress in the months and years to come to ensure the cleanup is done right and supports a high-quality fishery in the Animas. It’s our hope that Congress appropriates adequate funding to begin the cleanup soon." The town of Silverton, previously opposed to the Superfund program, now supports the listing along with local communities and law makers. “I’m hopeful that with this designation the EPA will continue to collaborate with local, tribal and state officials and work to protect the local economy, maximizing local employment opportunities where possible, and providing adequate funding to ensure the cleanup begins as quickly as possible,” said US Rep. Scott Tipton.

“Listing the Bonita Peak Mining District on the National Priorities List is an important step that enables EPA to secure the necessary resources to investigate and address contamination concerns of San Juan and La Plata Counties, as well as other downstream communities in New Mexico, Utah, and the Navajo Nation,” EPA regional administrator Shaun McGrath said in a statement.

“We look forward to continuing our efforts with the state of Colorado, the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S Forest Service, tribal governments and our community partners to address the impacts of acid mine drainage on the Animas River.”

The Year After Gold King

It's been a year and a few days since a spill at the Gold King Mine near Silverton released three million gallons of heavy-metal-laden, mustard yellow sludge into the Animas River. Photos of the yellow water dominated headlines all over the world. Words like "disaster" and "catastrophic" were used. While the initial spill came as a shock to most, the river was able to withstand the blow. One year after the sludge came through, the river is back to it's usual state of water quality.

There was no fish mortality documented from the spill, while bug sampling by an aquatic biologist with Mountain Studies Institute indicates a still thriving population of mayfly nymphs and caddis pupa. Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) had installed pens of fingerling trout in the Animas before the plume arrived- and none of those fish died either. CPW ran an electro-shocking episode after the “Spill” with the usual re-capture protocol and got essentially the same results as the year before. Actually, the survey showed a slight improvement.

"This is not to diminish our concern for the Animas River and the fishery in the canyon below Silverton. This reach has been substantially impacted by three draining mines at the headwaters of Cement Creek, which flows into the Animas at Silverton," said Buck Skillen, President of the 5 Rivers Chapter of TU. "This, plus the Gold King Spill, highlights the very need for Good Samaritan Legislation for which TU is strongly advocating – so that abandoned mine cleanup projects can proceed here and elsewhere."

Getting the river back to it's usual state was no easy task but Trout Unlimited and partners were willing to take the lead. "It’s been quite a year since the Gold King spill sent a torrent of yellow, metal-laden mine water down the Animas River in SW Colorado," said Ty Churchwell, TU San Juan Mountains Coordinator. "But long before this unfortunate event, TU was deeply embedded in the water quality conversation – and now we’ve doubled down. Our efforts to pass Good Samaritan legislation are bearing fruit in the form of a bipartisan discussion draft now working its way through the halls of Congress. We hope to see the bill formally introduced this session."

The 5 Rivers Chapter of Colorado TU worked with Mountain Studies Institute (MSI) in Durango by taking water samples every two hours from before the plume arrived until days later. They also monitored the macro-invertebrates in the river as the disaster unfolded. The year previously, 5 Rivers Chapter had worked with MSI to do a macro-invertebrates study that served as a baseline for clean-up efforts following the spill.

Also prior to the spill in August, Trout Unlimited teamed up with other partners to form the San Juan Clean Water Coalition. The intent when forming the coalition was to produce a site-specific Good Samaritan legislation for the San Juan Mountains of Colorado. In the wake of the spill, the intentions have broadened to use the Animas as an example for the potential issues in the West.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, abandoned hard rock mines affect 40 percent of headwaters in the western United States. Just in the San Juan Mountains, slow acid drainage has led to the death of multiple rivers. "The community of Silverton, at the Animas’ headwaters, is now pursuing a Superfund listing to finally, once and for all, deal with the lingering problem of acid mine drainage (AMD) from dozens of old mining sites," said Churchwell. "The TU-led, San Juan Clean Water coalition, has grown dramatically and we’re making a real difference.  In the wake of the spill, the coalition’s objectives have expanded to include a comprehensive, five-point plan to greatly improve the overall health of the watershed and the world class trout fishery in Durango"

The Good Samaritan Legislation would address the current pollution clean-up laws in the United States. Currently, the Clean Water Act and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, place the clean-up burden on the property owners. But in the case of these abandoned mines, the owners are long-gone. Now the clean-up falls on the shoulders of Good Samaritans like TU and other partners. However, the liabilities in the laws- requiring a project to show significant improvements for a specific period of time and makes the Good Samaritan liable for any failures in improvements- have caused a legal gridlock.

Since the Gold King Mine spill, Colorado’s Senators Michael Bennet and Cory Gardner, and Representative Scott Tipton have taken the issue to Washington where the Good Sam legislation has been moving along.

"If there are any silver linings to all of this, it’s that citizens, elected officials and communities all over the west are now aware of the massive problem of acid mine drainage, and people are paying attention. The Gold King spill was a wakeup call for the nation," said Churchwell. "Thank goodness the Animas didn’t die to make a point.  In the end, there was no real ecologic ‘disaster’, as was portrayed in the media. There was no die-off of fish and our bug studies are showing excellent insect populations in the Gold Medal water in Durango. But, there is a real problem at the top of the watershed and we’re moving in the right direction. The Animas remains one of Colorado’s premier trout fisheries."

Wildfires and Wildlife habitat

By: Ameen Hosain In spite of recent events concerning numerous wildfires blazing in the forests of Colorado, it is important to address the effects that these wildfires can have on Trout and the environments they exist in.

According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, "The biggest negative impact in burn zones is to fish."  With wildfires comes an increased amount of sediment that runs through river systems.  This increased sediment can clog the gills of trout, as well as suffocate many of the organisms living on the bottom of a river, both of which can severely affect any wildlife populations that exist in an area.

Trout populations can be negatively affected by this excessive sediment, and it can take years for these populations to recover.  According to CPW, "The South Platte River in and downstream of the Hayman burn area has only recently begun to return to the quality fishery that it was prior to the fire."  The Hayman fire occurred in 2002.

For rivers effected by fires, things can be done to counter the negative effects on fish populations, and CPW has been doing these things for many years, working to ensure that burned environments recover as quickly as possible.  Monitoring fish populations, restoring stream banks and fish habitat, and restocking fish when necessary are only a few of the actions taken towards aiding the recovery of streams.

Another notable affect of wildfires is the increase in the amount of runoff water that reaches streams and lakes.  Fires can rid huge areas of the trees and plants that absorb much of the runoff from mountains, and thus largely increasing the probability of flooding.

Floods can be detrimental to fish populations and stream ecosystems, as they can be very powerful, with the ability to flush entire populations out of a stream and severely erode entire stream banks.

A well known example of this kind of occurrence is the flooding of fountain creek in Colorado Springs as a direct result of the Waldo Canyon fire.  This flood destroyed many roads and homes in the Manitou Springs and Colorado Springs area, as well as eliminated the population of wild brown trout that once existed in the creek.

Alongside the increased threat of flooding, wildfires are also able to severely reduce the biodiversity in the areas they burn.   Frequent fires can eradicate many native plant species, and encourage the growth of fire resistant plants, as well as encourage the growth of invasive plant species.

Often times these invasive species are much more flammable than the native species they replace, thus often creating a perpetual cycle where there is increased fire danger in areas where there have already been fires in the past.  The ash produced can also destroy available plant nutrients, greatly effecting what kinds of plants can grow in burn areas

It is important to realize that the long term effects of wildfires can be beneficial to environments, and most negatives are only present for relatively short amount of time. According to CPW, benefits of wildfire include "[the] burned trees [allowing] sunlight to penetrate to the forest floor, which allows the growth of ferns and grasses that wildlife species rely on for food," as well as the "young plants that appear after fire [being] nutritionally superior to older, decadent plants."

Wildfires can prove to have huge affects on the fragile environments that exist within Colorado, and it is important to realize the negative and positive effects that come with these occurrences. It is important for any person who uses wildlife areas to be mindful of fire regulations and dangers, in order to prevent the negative consequences that can spring from the burning of wildfires.

Celebrate Colorado River Day!!

Each year on July 25, urban and rural groups, progressives and conservatives, and people near and far all come together to celebrate the Colorado River. As the hardest working river in the West, it's up to us to work together to protect the future of the water- and while the river has seen some hard times, the future is looking bright. On this day in 1921, Congress voted to change the name of the river from "Grand" to "Colorado." But while the name change doesn't necessarily affect the river, many other changes have. As the West had continued to expand, the river serves as an economic engine for the entire country. The river supports 16 million jobs, generates $1.4 trillion in economic benefits, and supplies drinking water for 38 million people across seven states and two countries.

Apart from the economic benefits, the river supports an abundance of recreational activities. The river is home to 30 native fish species, two-thirds of which are threatened or endangered, and over 350 bird species.

The mighty river also irrigates more than 1.8 million acres of land- producing about 15 percent of the nation’s crops and about 13 percent of livestock. These totals generate about $1.5 billion a year in agricultural benefits.

It's easy to see how the river may be overused and while it still faces serious hardships, some say the best days of the Colorado River are right now.

In the headwaters of the Colorado, a Learning by Doing initiative is underway to ensure that the health of the river and it's tributaries remain at the forefront even with additional diversion structures. Through Learning by Doing, the water is constantly monitored for temperature, riparian vegetation, and aquatic macro-invertebrates. If there is a problem detected, the appropriate measures will be implemented to make sure the water quality and trout habitat is preserved.

“The so-called “Learning by Doing” program sets up a collaborative process that requires water users to monitor the health of the river in coming years and adjust operations to address unforeseen challenges and opportunities," said David Nickum, Executive Director of Colorado Trout Unlimited.

Another project in place to keep the Colorado River healthy is the Windy Gap Bypass. Issues with the reservoir's placement have put a stretch of river between Granby and Kremmling is jeopardy. But steps are being taken to bring the river back to health. A plan to bypass the reservoir and reconnect the river's natural flow is underway. “We wouldn’t be at this point without the leadership of Grand County and their persistent efforts to improve the health of the Colorado River,” said Kirk Klancke, president of TU’s Colorado River Headwaters chapter. “And the Northern subdistrict also deserves credit for listening to our concerns and working with all stakeholders to find solutions.”

The river also saw a major victory when the Colorado Department of Public Health released a final 401 permit that affirms the health of the Colorado through the Windy Gap Firming Project. “This long-term monitoring and flexibility of response use is called ‘adaptive management’—and it’s a critical feature of the permit requirements,” said Mely Whiting, counsel for Trout Unlimited. “Adaptive management recognizes that stakeholders can’t foresee every problem, and it provides a process for ongoing monitoring and mitigation of river problems as they arise.”

While further on down from the headwaters, Trout Unlimited is teaming up with ranchers and cattlemen to use water more efficiently and responsibly. "Continued development of the reservoir storage system is necessary, too, but ranchers need to realize their role and the opportunities they have to manage their water in a way that protects agricultures’s viability," said T. Wright Dickinson, former president of the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association.

Down river, more awareness is being spread about safe water usage in dessert climates like Nevada and Arizona. And thanks to strong El Nino winter, a lot of California reservoirs were full this spring for the first time in years.

While the river provides life the west, the west is starting to supply like to the river. Through projects at the headwaters down to where the Colorado meets the Pacific, steps are being taken to ensure that the health of the river remains at the forefront for everybody who calls the west home.

Gross Reservoir Expansion

Typically when reservoirs are being expanded, it isn't as complicated as expanding Gross Reservoir. The Boulder County body of water may seem like any other reservoir but the idea of adding more water to it needs to take into account an issue happening over 15 miles away- and over the Continental Divide. Gross Reservoir was completed in 1954 as part of a series of intermountain diversions built to store water after it travels from the western slope of the Continental Divide to the eastern slope.

As the Denver Metro area continues to grow, the water needs rise with it and the unreliable flows from the South Platte River aren't enough to supply roughly 80% of the state's population with water throughout the year. Which is why water from the Upper Colorado River headwaters- in this case the Fraser River- are diverted for Front Range usage.

According to Denver Water, the reservoir expansion also takes on the a water shortage vulnerability. "We need to balance our north and south supply systems. Customers receive 80 percent of their water from the south end of our system. The other 20 percent comes from the north side, through the Moffat Collection System. This imbalance makes the system vulnerable to catastrophic events, such as the Buffalo Creek and Hayman fires, which caused massive sediment runoff into reservoirs on the south side of our system. That runoff forced us to rely heavily on a water-short north system for a period of time. Expanding Gross Reservoir on the north will help balance that inequity."

Gross reservoir holds water originally flowing in the Fraser River that is then pumped into the South Boulder Creek via the 13 mile long Moffat Tunnel at the base of Winter Park Ski Resort. Currently %60 of the native flows are diverted and the reservoir expansion could take up to %20 more.

The Fraser River's health has been in decline and with more water being taken out, the health of the river was in jeopardy. As the flows decrease, the sediment buildup and temperature increases- leaving trout and insect life to diminish.

But thanks to collaboration work between Trout Unlimited and Denver Water, a Learning by Doing initiative was started. Learning by Doing allows Denver Water to remove flows all while keeping the health of the river at the forefront of the issue.

Learning by Doing requires regular monitoring of stream temperature, riparian vegetation, and aquatic macro-invertebrates. If an environmental problem is detected, Denver Water will provide some financial support and additional flows to help solve the issue. This includes providing the flushing flows the river needs in the spring to clean sediment build up.

“The fact is, the Fraser and Colorado River have been in decline for many years, and Learning by Doing is giving us a chance to change that trajectory by engaging the key stakeholders on how to work together to best manage the river," said Mely Whiting, TU Counsel. "While more water will be drawn from the river in wetter years and seasons, greater cooperation in managing water – including provisions that provide extra water during low flow periods, and investment of funds in restoration activities – means that we can put the Fraser and the Colorado on a pathway toward better river health."

On June 30, Governor John Hickenlooper officially endorsed the Gross Reservoir Expansion (also known as the Moffat Collection System Project). "This key infrastructure project will serve over 25% of the state's population, add reliability to our public water supply, and provide environmental benefits to both the East and West Slopes of Colorado," said Gov. Hickenlooper. "Denver Water has worked closely with stakeholders in an inclusive public process to develop a balanced and pragmatic approach to environmental protection and water supply development." "This project strikes a necessary balance between the water needs of Front Range municipalities and the need to protect healthy flows and fish and wildlife habitat in the Fraser River," said David Nickum, Executive Director of Colorado TU. "The so-called “Learning by Doing” program in the proposal sets up a collaborative process that requires water users to monitor the health of the river in coming years and adjust operations to address unforeseen challenges and opportunities. Moreover, Denver Water has entered into partnerships on the Front Range to ensure that the project alleviates chronic low-flow problems in South Boulder Creek. Both sides of the Divide benefit.”