Environmental Water Use: USFS Instream Bypass Points

The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) has required instream bypasses as conditions for certain USFS land use authorizations at several locations in the Platte River Basin.áInstream bypasses are measures intended to reduce impacts on the environment resulting from the diversion of water from streams located on USFS lands and are defined on the basis of the terms and conditions for certain land use authorizations (e.g., easements or special use permits) issued by the USFS for USFS land.áThe USFS has regulatory authority for the administration of USFS land use authorizations and associated terms or conditions.áThough streams with USFS instream bypass protection and stream reaches for which minimum instream flow permit applications have been submitted to the SEO often overlap, USFS instream bypasses are not related to permitting and administration of minimum instream flows by the SEO.

Currently the USFS has an instream bypass point located on Middle Crow Creek within the South Platte River subbasin (see table below), and the location of the instream bypass can be seen by clicking here.

Summary - U.S. Forest Service (USFS) Instream Bypasses, South Platte River subbasin