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Back to: Home Page : The Watershed : Watershed Collaborative : Research Projects : Roaring Fork Stream Health Initiative : Stream Segments
Snowmass Creek  Snowmass Creek flows northward from its headwaters at Snowmass Lake at 10,980’ in the Snowmass-Maroon Bells Wilderness Area down to an elevation of 6835’ at the confluence with the Roaring Fork River. The uppermost reach of this assessment starts south of the wilderness boundary at an elevation of 8775’. Current land use varies with elevation. Predominant land uses in higher elevation reaches include forest, grazing, and recreation, especially skiing and hiking. As elevation decreases, land use changes in the downstream direction to be dominated by agriculture, pastures and fields, then to rural and residential use. Long-term dewatering, in combination with various forms of human development, has altered channel morphology throughout the assessment area. Water diversions for snowmaking in the late fall have debilitating effects on fish survivability by further decreasing naturally low flows during an especially stressful time of the year. Irrigation diversions that occur throughout the summer decrease available in-stream habitat and contribute to rising stream water temperatures. Riparian habitat conditions vary throughout the assessment area: healthy riparian habitat is interspersed with degraded habitat. Weeds and undesirable plant species inundate the entire assessment area and threaten riparian plant community sustainability  |
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