watervulnerability

Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forest Watershed Vulnerability Assessment, Rocky
Mountain Region (R2)
Figure 12. Water Uses Values Ranking
The Upper Taylor geographic area has the largest area ranked high for water uses. The San Juans
geographic area has the second-highest area ranked high for water uses. Because the water rights
information from the State of Colorado did not include off-Forest data for Division 5 (the northern half of
the Grand Mesa), the rankings for these subwatersheds are lower than they should be. Once data are
acquired, the rankings should be re-evaluated for these subwatersheds. The Grand Mesa geographic area
has several subwatersheds with the highest rankings for water use values on the GMUG. The
Uncompahgre geographic area has the least area ranked high for water uses.
Aquatic Ecological Values
Aquatic Ecological Values identified for this WVA include both habitats and species. The GMUG team
focused on those aquatic habitats and species that were of most concern and that would be representative
of other aquatic habitats/species not selected. As with the other values, a mixture of data extent and
availability for different aquatic values affects the confidence in the resulting watershed rankings. The
aquatic ecological values included in this WVA are listed below.
Fens, wetlands and riparian areas - density of riparian habitats measured as acres of habitat per square
mile of subwatershed. A combination of a recent fen/wetland inventory database and an existing riparian
habitat layer were used to identify where these aquatic habitats occur on the GMUG. Densities ranged
from 0 to 121 acres of riparian habitats per square mile of subwatershed. (Data were limited to lands
within the GMUG boundary.) The existing riparian habitat layer also includes waterbodies, so
waterbodies were not evaluated separately. Figure 13 displays fens, wetlands, and riparian areas.
Waterbodies are also display in this figure.
78 Assessing the Vulnerability of Watersheds to Climate Change