The State of the Roaring Fork Watershed Report is the result of a growing awareness of the interconnectedness of the watershed’s parts. It is becoming more apparent how actions upstream affect conditions downstream, and how large issues such as increased water development in the West, drought, climate change, population growth, and rapidly changing land uses present serious implications for the watershed as a whole. While environmental concerns have been jurisdictionally focused in the past, the strengthening commitment across towns, counties, resource agencies, interest groups, and citizens to a collaborative process for addressing water issues has energized the Roaring Fork Watershed Plan process of which this report is the first phase. Additionally, interests throughout the watershed are gaining a better understanding of the values provided by the watershed’s environmental attributes, ranging from water-based outdoor recreation activities and their associated economic benefits to the ecosystem services supported by properly functioning streams and their habitats. The context of the report is grounded in a “watershed” perspective, a perspective which also defines the collaborative effort of the public, non-profit, and private sectors to initiate the Roaring Fork Watershed Plan.

“I wanted to let you know that we believe the Aspen’s investment in the Watershed Report over the last several years will pay us an unexpected dividend. We are in the process of putting together the technical documentation for a FERC license (Castle Creek Hydro) and will be able to use the watershed report as supporting documentation for the application. Thanks to RWAPA and Roaring Fork Conservancy for having the foresight to get this information together in a single place.” Phil Overeynder, Former Public Works Director, City of Aspen

“The State of the Watershed Report is a remarkable step forward for informing land use decisions in Garfield County. Over the course of 2009 and 2010, Garfield County Staff will utilize the findings from the State of the Watershed Report to inform the rewrite of the Land Use Comprehensive Plan of 2000 and subsequently recommend action and policy decisions to appointed and elected officials based on this analysis.” David Pesnichak, Senior Planner - Long-Range, Garfield County 

“The information that has been compiled in the State of the Watershed Report will be very valuable not only in respect to protecting our water quantity and quality but also being aware of things that need to be protected or repaired to insure the success of the entire watershed.” Leroy Duroux, Former Mayor, Basalt 

“Since the State of the Roaring Fork Watershed Report is organized by sub-basins, it can help us direct limited resources toward priority issues. It will be a very useful tool in the creation of the Roaring Fork Watershed Plan that can guide development to be protective of our natural resources.” Ray Merry, Director Environmental Health Department, Eagle County 

“The Watershed Plan is a tremendous accomplishment. It serves as an accurate baseline for where we are today and also serves as a roadmap for protecting our water quality and quantity into the future.” Rachel Richards, Pitkin County Commissioner 

“The City of Aspen is using the results of the Watershed Report as guidance in developing stormwater management policies and projects to prevent, reduce, and mitigate the impacts we have on the Roaring Fork River. For example, by the summer of 2009 we will have new design standards for development that will encourage greener designs and less impervious area and will require on-site removal of sediment from stormwater.” April Barker-Long, Stormwater Manager, City of Aspen 

The State of the Watershed report is a useful reference for Pitkin County staff reviewing land use applications with riparian area and wetland issues – helping to guide the decision-making process with respect to both habitat preservation and restoration." Rose Ann Sullivan, Former Environmental Resources Manager, Pitkin County