Purgatoire River Watershed Plan
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Purgatoire River Watershed Plan Purgatoire Watershed Partnership 2014 Trinidad, Colorado ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Purgatoire River Watershed Plan is a compilation of material from many sources with contributions from numerous community members, watershed stakeholders, government agencies, non-profit organizations and natural resource consultants. The plan was funded through a Bureau of Reclamation WaterSMART Cooperative Watershed Management Program grant awarded in September 2012 to the Purgatoire Watershed Partnership of Trinidad, Colorado. Special thanks goes to the Spanish Peaks-Purgatoire River Conservation District for serving as the fiscal agent for the Purgatoire Watershed Partnership. Jeff Crane of Crane Associates, LLC, in Carbondale, Colorado, was contracted by the Purgatoire Watershed Partnership to develop the Watershed Plan. However, this plan received substantial assistance from numerous individuals and organizations including but not limited to: Rachel Theler, Purgatoire Watershed Partnership Coordinator (2013-2014) Karen Wolf, Purgatoire Watershed Partnership Coordinator (2014) Elisa Dawson, AmeriCorps VISTA Volunteer (2014) Stephanie DiBetitto, Crane Associates, Assistant (also CWA VISTA-BOR WaterSMART grant application principal author) Ashley Bembenek, Principal, Alpine Environmental, Crested Butte, Colorado Jonnalea Tortorelli, Spanish Peaks-Purgatoire River Conservation District Manager Lucia Machado, Nonpoint Source Section Leader, Colorado Water Quality Control Division Jeff Montoya, District 19 Water Commissioner Jeris Danielson, Purgatoire River Water Conservancy District Manager Bob Holder, Colorado Parks & Wildlife District Wildlife Officer Mark Loveall & Shelly Simmons – Colorado State Forest Service Tracy Robb, Army Corps of Engineers, Trinidad Lake Project Manager Tom Acre, City of Trinidad (former) City Manager Gil Ramirez, City of Trinidad Watershed Manager Jeremy & Michael Yoder, Yoder Farms Julie Vlier, Tetra Tech Angela Welch, Norwest Corporation Jerry Jacobs and Karen Brown, Pioneer Natural Resources Sam Montoya, XTO Energy Matt Gottfried & Nico Dattels, Colorado College Loyd Holliman, Stonewall Fire Protection District Fire Chief Tom Perry, Culebra Range Community Coalition Arkansas Basin Roundtable Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site Purgatoire River Anglers Trout Unlimited Chapter 100 This project could not have happened without the leadership of the Purgatoire Watershed Partnership Board of Directors: Tom Verquer, Chairman George Holdershaw Karen Salapich, Vice Chairperson Loyd Holliman Levi Montoya, Secretary Mack Louden Stacey Rivera, Treasurer Paula Ozello Joe Bonato Darrell Pedri Mike Duran Tom Perry Mark Hanson Gil Ramirez Kathy Hill Ken Torres Former Board Members and Officers: Tom Acre Bernadette Baca Gonzales Roy Miller Ken Torres, Chairman Angela Welch, Secretary Cover Photo: Stephanie DiBetitto Purgatoire River Watershed Plan 2 Purgatoire Watershed Partnership Table of Contents Tables ....................................................................................................................................................... 4 Figures........................................................................................................................................................ 5 Acronyms....................................................................................................................................................6 Executive Summary .......................................................................................................................... ... 8 A. The Watershed .......................................................................................................................... 7 B. The Purgatoire Watershed Partnership ...................................................................................... 7 EPA Nine Elements of a Watershed Plan ..........................................................................................11 Section 1 Purgatoire Watershed Partnership .............................................................................15 1.1 Introduction and Background.................................................................................................15 1.2 Mission Statement .................................................................................................................15 1.3 Operating Structure and Funding Mechanisms .......................................................................15 1.4 Purpose of the Watershed Plan ..............................................................................................16 Section 2 Characteristics of the Purgatoire Watershed .............................................................18 2.1 Watershed History .................................................................................................................18 2.2 General Physical Environment ...............................................................................................18 2.3 Demographics, Economics and Growth Trends......................................................................27 2.4 Land Use and Ownership .......................................................................................................28 2.5 Common Resource Areas and Descriptions ...........................................................................32 2.6 Environmental Resources ......................................................................................................33 2.7 Colorado Natural Heritage Program Conservation Areas .......................................................41 2.8 The Nature Conservancy Conservation Plan for the Purgatoire Watershed .............................43 2.9 Las Animas County Master Plan ............................................................................................45 2.10 City of Trinidad Comprehensive Plan ....................................................................................46 Section 3 Water and Water Use ..................................................................................................47 3.1 Hydrology .............................................................................................................................47 3.2 Rapid Watershed Assessment ................................................................................................54 3.3 Water Rights .........................................................................................................................55 3.4 Consumptive Uses .................................................................................................................57 3.5 Nonconsumptive Uses ...........................................................................................................67 Section 4 Water Quality ..............................................................................................................69 4.1 Reports and Studies ...............................................................................................................69 4.2 Point Source Permits .............................................................................................................70 4.3 State Water Quality Standards ...............................................................................................73 4.4 Water Quality Data Set ..........................................................................................................82 4.5 Water Quality Assessment .....................................................................................................83 4.6 Dissolved Oxygen Assessment ..............................................................................................93 4.7 Suspended Sediment Assessment...........................................................................................95 4.8 Nutrient Assessment ..............................................................................................................99 4.9 Water Quality Assessment Summary ................................................................................... 103 Section 5 Issues of Concern ....................................................................................................... 105 5.1 Water Quality ...................................................................................................................... 106 5.2 Water Quantity .................................................................................................................... 105 5.3 Forest and Rangeland Health ............................................................................................... 107 5.4 Invasive Species .................................................................................................................. 110 5.5 Stream and Habitat Restoration ........................................................................................... 111 5.6 Recreational Use and Access to the River ............................................................................ 112 Purgatoire River Watershed Plan 2 Purgatoire Watershed Partnership 5.7 Awareness and Knowledge of Watershed Issues .................................................................. 112 5.8 Stakeholder Participation and PWP Sustainability ............................................................... 113 Section 6 Goals and Objectives ................................................................................................. 114 6.1 Goals 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