BOARD00055 ‎(2)‎

• Board Meeting Date: 11/13/2006
• Description: IBCC Director's Report - Interbasin Compact Committee Annual Report to the House of Representatives Com. On Agriculture, Livestock, Natural Resources, and Senate Com. On Agriculture, Energy, Natural
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

2,3 Dolores/San Juan/San Miguel
Basin (Southwest Basin)

2.3.1 Procedural Accomplishments

The Dolores/San Juan/San Miguel Basin Roundtable has
decided to refer to themselves as the Southwest Basin
Roundtable. The Southwest Basin Roundtable meets
every other month, alternating between the Durango and
Cortez areas. Mr. Steven Harris was elected Chair of the
Southwest Basin Roundtable and Mr. Ken Beegles was
elected Vice Chair. Mr. John Porter and Ms. Jennifer
Russell were elected to represent the Southwest Basin
on the IBCC per Section 37-75-104(2) of the Act. As
required by Section 37-75-104(a)(I) of the Act the
Southwest Basin Roundtable approved bylaws and goals
and objectives on April 6, 2006. The Southern Ute and
Ute Mountain Tribes were not included when the Act set
up the Basin Roundtables. The Southwest Roundtable
agreed that these Tribes should have voting
representatives on the Basin Roundtable and therefore
two additional seats were established. Representatives
from the Southwest Basin participated in a caucus of the
Western Slope Basin Roundtables on May 18, 2006.

The Dolores/San Juan.San Miguel Basin Roundtable
engaged in significant discussion regarding SB 06-179
funds and the guidelines and criteria for distributing these
funds. At the September 13, 2006, meeting, the
Southwest Basin received presentations from the
following proposed projects that may be eligible for SB
06-179 funds:

. Approximately $200,000 to assist in the construction
of an extension of pipelines for an existing rural water
system to a new area. The funds would be used to
reduce the cost per home from about $20,000 to
$12,000.

. The need for $1.8 million to construct and
enlargement to Gurley Dam near Norwood.

. Approximately $200,000 for legal expenses to form a
new water district to construct a rural water system in
southeast LaPlata County. The funds are needed for
the court process and a trial to fight some gas
companies who do not want to pay a mill levy if the
district is formed.

. Approximately $100,000 for assistance in purchasing
land for a new reservoir near Pagosa Springs.

S:\IBC Support\Report to leglsl.sfure\Section 2 flnsl.doc

Section 2
Reports From Basin Roundtables
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. Approximately $100,000 to investigate additional
storage capacity near Jackson Lake Reservoir near
Mancos.

. Approximately $50,000 to assist in the on-going
Dolores River Dialogue process.

. Approximately $100,000 for a feasibility study to
investigate enlargement of Cone Reservoir near
Norwood.

. Approximately $4 million to enlarge Red Mesa
Reservoir in the LaPlata River drainage.

2.3.2 Southwest Basin Educational

Accomplishments

The Southwest Basin Roundtable received two SWSI
presentations delivered by Mr. Rick Brown of the CWCB.
The first covered overall Colorado water needs and the
results of SWSI. The second covered specifically water
supply needs for the Southwest Basin.

2.3.3 Southwest Basin Needs

Assessment Accomplishments

A Water Supply and Needs Report was prepared for the
Southwest Basin utilizing information from the SWSI
Report as required by Section 37-75-104(c)(II) of the Act.
Copies of this report were distributed at the June 15,
2006, meeting by Mr. Rick Brown. The water needs
assessment for the Southwest Basin will be a primary
topic of dicussion at the November 2006 meeting.

2.3.4 Major Water Issues in the

Southwest Basin

Based on the findings in the needs assessment, the
Basin Roundtables are tasked with identifing major water
issues in their basin and proposing projects or methods
to meet those needs. The major water issues in each
basin as identified during SWSI served as a starting point
for the basin roundtables to further develop and refine
their own list of major water issues. Some of the major
issues identified in the Southwest Basin during SWSI
are:

. This multiple basin area of the state is extremely
diverse with changing demographics.

. Overall water supply is available but getting sufficient
infrastructure and water distribution will be a key
challenge.

. The Colorado River Compact places pressure on
uses of the San Juan River because New Mexico's

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