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Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forests REVISED DRAFT Forest Assessments: Watersheds, Water, and Soil Resources March 2018

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Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forests REVISED DRAFT Forest Assessments: Watersheds, Water, and Soil Resources March 2018 United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forests REVISED DRAFT Forest Assessments: Watersheds, Water, and Soil Resources March 2018 Taylor River above Taylor Dam, Gunnison Ranger District In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible Agency or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English. To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: (1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; (2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or (3) email: [email protected] (link sends e-mail). USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender. Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forests REVISED DRAFT Forest Plan Assessments: Watersheds, Water, and Soil Resources Contents Contents ........................................................................................................................................................ i Chapter 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 1 Key Issues for Watersheds, Water, and Soil Resources on the GMUG ................................................... 1 Summary Public Input ............................................................................................................................... 1 Use of Best Available Science .................................................................................................................. 1 Information Gaps ................................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 2. Condition and Trends .............................................................................................................. 2 Setting........................................................................................................................................................ 2 Watershed Condition Class ....................................................................................................................... 5 Trends and Drivers .................................................................................................................................... 9 Water Resources ..................................................................................................................................... 11 Surface Waterbodies ........................................................................................................................... 11 Groundwater ........................................................................................................................................ 14 Water Quantity ..................................................................................................................................... 15 Water Quality ........................................................................................................................................... 16 Public Water Supplies and Municipal Supply Watersheds...................................................................... 21 Water Use and Development .................................................................................................................. 24 Soil Resources ........................................................................................................................................ 26 Detrimental Soil Disturbance ............................................................................................................... 26 Current Forest Plan Direction .............................................................................................................. 26 Existing Information Sources ............................................................................................................... 27 Existing Condition ................................................................................................................................ 27 Chapter 3. Sustainability .......................................................................................................................... 30 Environmental Sustainability of Watersheds, Water, and Soil Resources .............................................. 30 Economic and Social Sustainability of Watersheds, Water, and Soil Resources ................................... 30 Chapter 4. Current Forest Plan and its Context within the Broader Landscape ................................ 30 Existing Forest Plan Management Direction for Watersheds, Water, and Soil Resources .................... 30 Issues in the Broader Landscape ............................................................................................................ 31 Chapter 5. Potential Need for Plan Changes to Respond to Watersheds, Water, and Soil Resources Issues ......................................................................................................................................................... 32 References Cited ....................................................................................................................................... 33 Appendix 1. Watershed Condition of 6th-Level HUCs on the GMUG NF ............................................. 37 i USDA Forest Service List of Tables Table 1. Sub-basins containing the GMUG National Forest lands ................................................................................. 2 Table 2. Process categories and indicators of the Watershed Condition Framework .................................................... 5 Table 3. Watershed condition class ratings for watersheds in each geographic area .................................................... 6 Table 4. Watershed ratings for watershed condition framework attributes ..................................................................... 8 Table 5. Watersheds rated Class 1 that could degrade to Class 2 as a result of small decreases in process category scores .......................................................................................................................................................................... 10 Table 6. Percent of total streamflow that is groundwater in the Upper Colorado River Basin ...................................... 11 Table 7. Ratio of number of dams per stream mile for the GMUG 4th level HUCs ...................................................... 12 Table 8 - Number and estimated springs per acre occurring on the GMUG NF. The data were derived from the Springs Stewardship Institute database and includes all springs in the National Hydrography Dataset. It is very likely these values are underestimated. ................................................................................................................................ 14 Table 9. Segments designated as Outstanding Waters ............................................................................................... 17 Table 10. Impaired streams and reasons for impairment on the GMUG NF (2018 303(d) list [Colorado Water Quality Control Commission 2018]) .......................................................................................................................................... 18 Table 11. Surface water-dependent providers (public and private) on the GMUG NF ................................................. 22 Table 12. Private Groundwater Dependent Providers .................................................................................................. 23 Table 13. Forest Service Groundwater Dependent Sites ............................................................................................. 24 Table 14. Erosion hazard ratings on the GMUG NF..................................................................................................... 28 Table 15. Watershed condition of 6th-level HUCs on the GMUG NF ........................................................................... 37 List of Figures Figure 1. Average monthly precipitation at SNOTEL stations
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