PUB00143

• Year: 1992
• Title: Construction Fund Annual Report 1992
• CWCB Section: Finance
• Author: CWCB
• Description: Construction Fund Annual Report 1992
• Publications - Doc Type: CF Annual Report

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groundwater recharge demonstration project in cooperation with the San Luis Valley Water
Conservancy District. The purpose of this project is to provide a plan which would help inform
water users of the benefits of recharge and provide basic data necessary to determine the need
for an integrated water management plan for the District. A contract was executed between the
Board and the District which in turn hired Davis Engineering to do the work. A report on the
results of this management plan along with any observations about the desirability of further
application of such methods should be completed by December 1993.

Colorado River Decision Support System Feasibility Study

Part 1 of Section 10 of SB 92-87 authorized the Board to expend up to $100,000 to expand
staff capability by 1 FfE for Colorado River model efforts, with the primary effort to become
expert on the Bureau of Reclamation's Colorado River Simulation Model (CRSM) and to monitor
the Bureau's current project to transfer the CRSM from a mainframe to a new (engineering work
station) format with improved capacity, capability and flexibility. Because of the Board's role
in interstate matters on the Colorado River it is vital to keep pace with development of the new
system and develop expertise for its use by the state. Although output from that system can be
obtained from the Bureau, and the Upper Colorado River Commission can perform limited
analyses based upon the system, none of those can be done in confidence, a deterrent to
developing state strategy. Preliminary arrangements have been made with the Bureau to set up
an account for training and to use its Cyber computer. A job description (PC-8) has been
prepared, and an exemption from the Governor's hiring freeze has been requested to fill this
position.

Part 2 of Section 10 of SB 92-87 authorized the Board to expend up to $90,000 for a needs
analysis and feasibility study for the development of a decision support system (DSS). A DSS
would allow policymakers to make better informed decisions regarding the planning,
management, and administration of Colorado's entitlement of Colorado River water. The project
is a joint venture between the Office of the State Engineer (SEO) and Colorado Water
Conservation Board (CWCB) staffs, coordinated by the Director of the Department of Natural
Resources (DNR). An Advisory Committee was established to provide technical expertise and
guidance from water users. In September 1992, the Board contracted with Dames and Moore,
and its sub-contractor at the Center for Advanced Decision Support for Environmental and Water
Systems (CADSWES) at the University of Colorado, to conduct the needs Analysis and
Feasibility Study. The study will conform to the guidelines established by the state's
Commission on Information Management (IMC), and it will be completed by December 31,
1992.

Part 3 of Section 10 of SB 92-87 authorized the Board, in cooperation with the State
Engineer, to expend up to $262,000 to initiate the collection and purchase of water resources data
upon which a decision support system would be based. The request included 1 FI'E and up to
six temporary employees in the Division of Water Resources (DWR), and the purchase of
necessary hardware to collect and store the data. During the summer, DNR hired five temporary
employees who began collecting field data in the Gunnison, San Juan, and Colorado River basins.
Through November 1992, approximately 25% of all irrigated acreage was verified. With
approval from the CWCB, DWR ordered engineering workstations, software, and electronic base

CWCB Annual Report, page 9