BOARD00066 ‎(3)‎

• Board Meeting Date: 11/13/2006
• Description: CWCB Stream Gage Fund and Division of Water Resources Satellite Monitoring Fund
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

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Discussion

The key elements of both the CWCS gaging and DWR satellite monitoring programs, which have been
previously established over the past 5 years, are as follows. I.

CWCS stream !!;aging program:

· Installation, operation and maintenance ,of new gages and/or refurbishment of existing gages as
required by CWCS for flood forecasting and warning, instream tlow monitoring, compact
protection, and Decision Support Systerl1 data collection efforts.
· Development of new stream gaging methodologies through research and advances in technology
to promote data collection efficiency, reduction in costs, and/or improvements in data accuracy.
· . Upgrading and mai ntai ning- stream gag i~g and- survey eq uipment~ and- computer hardware and
software required for stream gaging dat", collection and analysis.
· Provide for staff training as new gaging technologies are developed.
· Support and continued development of the state's high and low tlow alert system.

DWR satellite monitoring program:

· Continue the long term operational viability of over 400 state satellite-linked water monitoring
sites by:
o . Replacement of out-dated data collection platforms and upgrading of satellite
transmission components.
o Refurbishment of existing stream gages as needed to maintain the operation reliability of
stream tlow data.
. Flood hardening of key stations against tlood events in order to continue collection of critical
real-time stream tlow data in times of tlooding.

I.

Recommendation

Staff recommends that the Soard request the General assembly authorize $300,000 from the
Construction Fund to be appropriated to the Colorado Water Conservation Board for tlood forecasting
and warning, instream flow monitoring, compact protection, and decision support system data collection
efforts. In addition, staff recommends another $300,000 from the Construction fund to be appropriated
to the Department of Natural Resources for allocation to the Division of Water Resources (DWR) to
enhance, renovate, and replace the Data Collection Platforms in the existing satellite monitoring system
(The details of the DWR Satellite Monitoring System funding request are explained in detail in the
attached memo from Hal Simpson to Rod Kuharich dated August 23,2006.) Furthermore, statf
recommends that another $50,000 be requested for the stream gage flood hardening program which is
administered and coordinated between both the bWR and CWCS. The tlood hardening funds will also
be allocated to DWR. The total cost for these JOInt gaging efforts is $650,000.

Staff also recommends that the Soard request the General Assembly to authorize two separate
continuous appropriations which will be appropriated from the Water Conservation Soard Construction
Fund on an annual basis to support both the cwes Stream Gaging and DWR Satellite Monitoring
Programs. Authorization of each fund would be as follows:

I.

Flood Protection. Water Project Plam,ling and Financing. Stream alld Lake Protectiun
Water Supply Protection. Conservation Planning