BOARD00054 ‎(2)‎

• Board Meeting Date: 11/13/2006
• Description: CWCB Director's Report
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

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Consensus for the Colorado." Rod Kuharich spoke about the seven basin states agreement and the
challenges ahead. Russ George spoke about the IBCC and the 1177 process. Jim Lochhead, Larry Dozier
(Central Arizona Project), and Roger Patterson (Metropolitian Water District of Southern California) also
spoke about the 7-Colorado River Basin agreement, the benefits of the Agreement from their perspective
and the status of activities associated with implementing the Agreement. This was an informative and
well-attended event The Colorado River Water Conservation District held its annual seminar on
September 15 in Grand Junction. .

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Colorado River Water Users Association Annual Meeting: The CRWUA annual meeting will be held
Dec 13-15, in Las Vegas. The theme is "Common Goals," and I will be one of the speakers and discuss
issues limiting water marketing between upper and lower basin states. Randy Seaholm and Ted
Kowalski are also scheduled to attend.

UCRC Meeting Scheduled: The Upper Colorado River Basin Commission will meet on December 13,
in Las Vegas, Nevada, prior to the annual meeting for CRWUA.

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Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Program: The Work Group, Forum, and Advisory Council met
October 24-26 in Scottsdale, Arizona. Jerry Zimmerman form California Chaired the Forum meeting,
and was elected as the new Chairman of the Advisory Council. The issue USDA producer cost-share
rates received extensive discussion at all 3 meetings. This issue may impact farmer participation in the
salinity program, and will be carefully approached considering the ability of farmers to pay for a portion
of the program while maximizing the use of federal funds to provide benefits to downstream water users.
The Advisory Council has recommended that the producer cost share rate remain at 25% for FY2007.
Further work will be done by a Committee that I chair to develop an incentive payment cost share process
for use beginning in October 2007, based on the value of salinity control provided by participants. A
second major issue at the Forum meeting was modifications to the USBR's funding agreement with
participants in the Huntington-Cleveland area of Utah. As part of the discussion of the causes and costs
of that problem USBR has committed to doing a program review of their Basinwide Program. This
review will allow the Work Group and Forum to make recommendations for changes that will improve
project development, comparison, and implementation, and should provide a more favorable basis for
inclusion of participants from Colorado. There were also reports on the impacts of energy development
on western watersheds, updating the Paradox deep well brine injection project, and resolving laboratory
differences concerning Mexican Treaty delivery criteria. The Advisory Council renewed its requests for
federal funding in FY2008 and will be submitting those to Congress through the Forum in a report to be
released in January 2007. The Whitewater and Debeque areas near Grand Junction are now eligible for
USDA-EQIP salinity funds and basin cost sharing.

Colorado Pikeminnow Spawning Documented in Lodore Canyon:_Results of a July 13th fish
sampling trip were recently released documenting for the first time the presence of the endangered
Colorado Pikeminnow in the Green River upstream of the Yampa River confluence since the closure of
Flaming Gorge Dam. Two Colorado Pikeminnow larvae were capture during the trip, which was made as
part of the study aimed a evaluating the usefulness of the Temperature Control Device (TCD) placed on
the Flaming Gorge Dam outlet works and the modifications to dam operation associated with the
installation. The purpose of the TCD was to help warm water temperatures in the river downstream of the
dam and thus create more favorable habitat conditions for the endangered fish. This discovery is another
indication that the activities undertaken as part of the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery
Program are working and that the Program will be successful in recovering the endangered fish.

Gunnison River Basin

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Gunnison Roundtable Argues for Inclusion in Black Canyon Case: At a meeting October 2, its
members argued for inclusion in the Black Canyon water case, claiming that members can help build
consensus in the case.

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