Environmental and Recreational Water Use Analysis for the Bear River Basin, Wyoming

Environmental and Recreational Water Use Analysis for the Bear River Basin, Wyoming Bear River Basin Plan Update Prepared for: Wyoming Water Development Commission 6920 Yellowstone Rd Cheyenne, Wyoming 82009 Prepared by: Western EcoSystems Technology, Inc. 415 W. 17th St., Suite 200 Cheyenne, Wyoming 82001 September 1, 2017 Draft Pre-Decisional Document - Privileged and Confidential - Not For Distribution Bear River Basin Plan Update EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In 2010, the Wyoming Water Development Commission (WWDC) requested a study to develop more robust and consistent methods for defining environmental and recreational (E&R) water uses for the River Basin Planning program. The study outlined that recreational and environmental uses needed to be identified and mapped, in a way that would assess their interactions with traditional water uses throughout the state of Wyoming. Harvey Economics completed the study in 2012, with a report and handbook being produced to identify a consistent viewpoint and accounting process for E&R water demands and to help guide river basin planning efforts in moving forward. The methods developed in the handbook were implemented on the Bear River Basin (Basin), and the results of the Basin plan update are provided in this report. In addition to the handbook guidelines, Western Ecosystems Technology, Inc. coordinated with the WWDC to further the analysis through the development of three models: 1) protection, 2) environmental, and 3) recreation. The Basin is located in northeast Utah, southeastern Idaho and southwestern Wyoming, and it covers an area of approximately 7,500 square miles, with 1,500 square miles (960,000 acres) occurring in the state of Wyoming. The Bear River is the largest tributary to the Great Salt Lake and its headwaters are in the Uinta Mountains of Utah. Several mountain ranges (Wyoming Range, Wasatch Range and Uinta Mountains) divide the Basin from the Green River Basin and other portions of the Great Salt Lake Basin. Land ownership in the Basin is primarily federal and private. Federal land is composed of Bureau of Land Management (BLM; 40.5%), US Forest Service (USFS; 12.4%), US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS; 2.7%), and National Parks Service (less than 1%) managed land. The BLM managed land occurs throughout the Basin, while USFS land is consolidated to the upper reaches of the basin along the northern border. Private land occurs throughout the Basin, with larger expanses of private ownership present in the southern portion of the Basin. Environmental uses are broken into state and federal environmental categories. Environmental water use in the Basin is demonstrated through permitted and protected resources and areas where environmental resources have been identified as important. State environmental uses include 17 instream flow filings, three distinct Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) crucial habitat priority areas, and over 50 miles of designated crucial stream corridors. Other WGFD designated areas occur in the Central Bear sub-basin and include key non-game areas and enhancement areas. Federal environmental uses include the Cokeville Meadows National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), USFWS listed species (one bird, three mammals, and two plants), and over 50,000 acres of National Wetlands Inventory polygons. Recreation uses in the Basin include fishing, waterfowl hunting, boating, whitewater rafting, camping, hiking, general sightseeing (such as bird watching), and a variety of other passive and active recreation activities. Recreation activities associated with water use are fairly WEST, Inc. ES-1 September 2017 Bear River Basin Plan Update concentrated and often occur on land specifically identified for public access, such as forest service land, state parks, and federal refuges. The USFS provides copious recreation opportunities near the Smiths Fork and Thomas Fork headwaters. Multiple reservoirs including Sulphur Creek and Woodruff Narrows provide recreation opportunities. The Bear River State Park is a 300-acre park located on the eastern edge of Evanston in southwestern Wyoming that has opportunities for fishing, hiking, wildlife viewing, bicycling, skiing, and many other activities. Other recreation opportunities are available, where access allows, throughout the Basin. All of the potential E&R uses identified in the report were evaluated and categorized as protected, complementary, or competing. These categories were defined based on the definition provided in the handbook and additional discussion with the WWDC and Wyoming State Engineer’s Office. A number of factors were considered to categorize the E&R uses including location in the Basin, land use and ownership, and existing permits, among other factors. The location and magnitude of diversions were specifically evaluated to determine the use categories. Categorization of uses included specific individual E&R use activities and categorizations were assigned to larger geographic areas where multiple uses may occur. Protected E&R water uses in the Basin exist along the permitted instream flow sections. These areas are primarily located on USFS-managed land, which provides an additional layer of protection. E&R uses in the Cokeville Meadows NWR should also be considered protected as this is an area owned by the USFWS and designated specifically for E&R uses. Additionally, Cokeville Meadows NWR water uses are supported by water rights and therefore protected. All E&R uses along Salt Creek from the Idaho – Wyoming border upstream to the headwaters, all uses upstream from the confluence of the Smiths Fork and Dry Smiths Fork, and all uses above the Muddy Creek and Smiths Fork confluence are currently protected due to the location high in the watershed and lack of existing diversions. If new diversions or water storage were proposed in the future, these area may no longer be protected. All other E&R water uses across the Basin are assumed to be complementary. This is based on the assumption that current water conditions will continue in a similar regime to historic water use. A number of large permitted diversions with senior water rights exist throughout the Basin. These diversions have the ability to affect E&R use if modification were to occur. The goal of this document is not to speculate; therefore, no competing categorizations were assigned. The model results demonstrate a clear difference in protection, environmental uses, and recreation uses between the Central Bear and Upper Bear sub-basins. High scores were calculated in the Central Bear sub-basin for all three models. Land ownership and location in the watershed appear to be the driving factors for protection scores, with more public land and federal agency oversight in the Central Bear sub-basin and more private land in the Upper Bear sub-basin. Additionally, environmental use scores were lower in the Upper Bear sub-basin, due to a lack of WGFD designated priority areas and instream flow filings. Recreation scores were highest high in the watershed on USFS land and along the Bear River. The Bear River is a focal point for recreation within the Basin due to the size of the features and the location of Bear River State Park and Cokeville Meadows NWR. WEST, Inc. ES-2 September 2017 Bear River Basin Plan Update STUDY PARTICIPANTS Western EcoSystems Technology Luke Martinson Project Manager Grant Gardener GIS Manager Murray Schroeder Engineer Support (WWC) Linda Koepsell Technical Editor REPORT REFERENCE Martinson, L. 2017. Environmental and Recreational Water Use Analysis for the Bear River Basin, Wyoming - Bear River Basin Plan Update. Wyoming Water Development Commission, Cheyenne, Wyoming. Prepared by Western EcoSystems Technology, Inc. (WEST), Cheyenne, Wyoming. September 1, 2017. WEST, Inc. i September 2017 Bear River Basin Plan Update TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...................................................................................................... ES-1 1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................ 5 2 STUDY AREA - BEAR RIVER BASIN ............................................................................ 6 2.1 Unique Characteristics................................................................................................ 6 3 METHODS ....................................................................................................................10 3.1 Identification of E&R Water Uses ...............................................................................11 3.2 Mapping of E&R Water Uses .....................................................................................11 3.3 Separating Consumptive Uses ..................................................................................12 3.4 Non-Consumptive E&R Water Use Categories ..........................................................12 3.5 Model Development ...................................................................................................13 3.6 Assimilation of E&R Water Use Data into Basin Plans ...............................................14 4 SECTION ORGANIZATION AND MAPS .......................................................................14 5 RESULTS ......................................................................................................................18 5.1 Bear River Basin Overview ........................................................................................18 5.2 Land Ownership ........................................................................................................18

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