BOARD00043 ‎(3)‎

• Board Meeting Date: 9/19/2006
• Description: CF Section - Finance Subcommittee Meeting
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Meeting

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STATE OF COLORADO

Colorado Water Conservation Board

Department of Natural Resources
1313 Sherman Street, Room 721
Denver, Colorado 80203
Phone:~03)866-3441
FAX: [phone]
www.cwcb.state.co.us

MEMORANDUM

Bill Owens
Governor

Russell George
Executive Director

To:

Colorado Water Conservation Board
Finance Committee

Rod Kuharich
CWCB Director

From:

Ted Kowalski

Dan McAuliffe
Deputy Director

Date: August 31, 2006

Re: CWCB Finance Committee Meeting
Water Supply Planning and Finance - Non Reimbursable Projects
CWCB Recreational and Environmental Instream Flows Study

Background
Colorado has been at the forefront of in stream flow water rights since 1973, when the General Assembly
recognized that the CWCB should be able to appropriate instream flow water rights for a beneficial use
within Colorado. Then, in the past decade, Recreational In-Channel Diversion ("RICD") water rights
have been recognized and appropriated by a number of different local governmental entities. There have
been disagreements over quantifying RICDs and over the extent to which these types of water rights
provide economic benefits to the surrounding communities. Through the Statewide Water Supply
Initiative ("SWSI") and the 1177 basin roundtables, it is becoming apparent that recreation and
environmental instream uses hold value to individual communities and the state as a whole. Yet, there
are vastly different economic values put on these types of in stream uses of water, and there are vastly
different methods and results associated with the methods for determining the appropriate flows for
these types of uses. The total funding this study would be fore $150,000 per year.

Objective
This study would have the following objectives: 1) to analyze how instream flow water rights (ISFs and
RICDs) have affected, and will affect in the future, water management in Colorado; 2) to provide an
objective analysis of the different quantification methods; and, 3) to determine the true economic
benefits associated with these types of water rights.

Recommendation
Staff recommends that the Board request the General Assembly to authorize an appropriation which will
be appropriated from the Water Conservation Board Construction Fund for the Recreational and
Environmental Instream Flows Study.

Flood Protection. Water Project Planning and Financing. Stream and Lake Protection
Water Supply Protection. Conservation Planning