Appendix D Wild and Scenic Rivers Suitability
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Appendix D Wild and Scenic Rivers Suitability Final Environmental Impact Statement Table of Contents Introduction to Wild and Scenic River Suitability .................................................................................... 1 Eligible Rivers ......................................................................................................................................... 1 Characteristics of Eligible Rivers ............................................................................................................ 4 Introduction – Suitability Analysis Process ............................................................................................. 5 Collaboration with State and County Government and the Government-to-Government Water Roundtable ............................................................................................................................................. 6 Procedural Steps Following Completion of the Land and Resource Management Plan Revision and Use of this Appendix ........................................................................................................... 8 Management of Eligible River Segments Following Suitability Determinations .................................. 8 Dolores River System ............................................................................................................................. 8 Dolores River above McPhee Reservoir .......................................................................................... 9 Dolores River - McPhee Reservoir to Bedrock .............................................................................. 12 Rio Lado ......................................................................................................................................... 18 West Dolores River (and portions of tributaries Falls Creek and Eagle Creek) ............................. 20 Summit Canyon .............................................................................................................................. 24 McIntyre Canyon ............................................................................................................................ 27 Bull Canyon .................................................................................................................................... 29 Coyote Wash .................................................................................................................................. 32 Suitability Determination ................................................................................................................ 34 Animas River System ........................................................................................................................... 36 Animas River – Bakers Bridge to Silverton .................................................................................... 36 Cement Creek ................................................................................................................................ 41 Cinnamon Creek ............................................................................................................................ 45 Maggie Gulch ................................................................................................................................. 48 Mineral Creek ................................................................................................................................. 50 South Fork Mineral Creek (and portions of Cataract Creek, Porcupine Creek and unnamed tributaries) ...................................................................................................................................... 55 West Fork Animas River in California Gulch .................................................................................. 58 Suitability Determination ................................................................................................................ 61 Hermosa Creek River System .............................................................................................................. 63 Hermosa Creek and Tributaries ..................................................................................................... 63 Suitability Determination ................................................................................................................ 68 Los Pinos River System ....................................................................................................................... 70 Los Pinos River and Tributaries above Vallecito Reservoir ........................................................... 70 Suitability Determination ................................................................................................................ 73 Vallecito Creek ...................................................................................................................................... 75 Vallecito Creek ............................................................................................................................... 75 Suitability Determination ................................................................................................................ 77 Piedra River System ............................................................................................................................. 77 Piedra River ................................................................................................................................... 78 East Fork Piedra River ................................................................................................................... 83 Middle Fork Piedra River................................................................................................................ 86 Suitability Determination ................................................................................................................ 90 San Juan River System ........................................................................................................................ 92 West Fork of the San Juan River ................................................................................................... 92 Wolf Creek and Falls Creek ........................................................................................................... 95 East Fork of the San Juan River .................................................................................................... 98 Suitability Determination .............................................................................................................. 101 Wild and Scenic River Analysis ............................................................................................................. 104 List of Streams Initially Evaluated for Eligibility .................................................................................. 104 References ............................................................................................................................................... 110 Volume III Appendix D – Wild and Scenic Rivers Suitability D-i Final San Juan National Forest and Proposed Tres Rios Field Office Land and Resource Management Plan This page intentionally left blank. Volume III D-ii Appendix D – Wild and Scenic Rivers Suitability Final Environmental Impact Statement INTRODUCTION TO WILD AND SCENIC RIVER SUITABILITY Under Section 5 (d)(1) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (WSRA), federal agencies undertaking land management planning are required to assess whether any of the rivers and streams in the planning area would be appropriate for addition to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. The process of designating a Wild and Scenic River (WSR) has four steps: 1. The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and/or Bureau of Land Management (BLM) determine streams that are “eligible,” and what each “classification” is. 2. The USFS/BLM Land and Resource Management Plan (LRMP) determines which streams are “suitable.” 3. The USFS/BLM can choose when to forward “suitable” streams for legislative consideration. 4. Congress can “designate” a WSR. Steps 1 and 2 are the subject of the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) and LRMP and are discussed below. There is also an alternative process (under Section 2(a)(ii) of the WSRA) in which the state legislators and governor recommend a river and the Secretary of the Interior designates it as a WSR. That process is not considered in the FEIS and LRMP. Eligible Rivers The WSR analysis considered primarily third-order and larger streams located on the San Juan National Forest (SJNF) and Tres Rios Field Office (TRFO). Some smaller order streams for which subject matter experts identified a potential outstanding remarkable value (ORV) were added, so that all values could be evaluated. The list of all streams evaluated is at the end of this WSR appendix. Streams determined to be sufficiently free-flowing (i.e., not impounded by dams or significantly channelized) were analyzed to determine if they had ORVs. In order to be assessed as outstandingly remarkable, a river-related value must be a unique, rare, or exemplary feature that is significant at a comparative regional or national scale. ORVs can be related to scenery, recreation, geology, fish, wildlife, historical, cultural, or other values. Discussions with the Government Water Roundtable from September 2005 to February 2007 were useful in refining the ORV assessment. Members of the Water Roundtable provided