Rio Grande - 100 Years of San Luis Reservoirs Addendum

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Memo Date: To: FroIll: Subject: M.arch 19, 2007 Mike Gibson Melvin Getz Rick Brown's COllcerns with Water Reserve Account Application for "1. 00 Years of San Luis Valley Reservoirs" Celebration funding First Isslle: It is unclear ~j'the jJr'ojJoseci activit)) is consiclerecl a ,stucly/anal))sis' qf'non- structural activit)), As Rick pointed out, the criteria and guidelines and statute do not define non-structural activity, so it is ilnpossible for lIS to ll1ake that deternlination. Ffowever, it is evident that the Legislature's intent in the passage of l-Iouse Bill 1177 , Water for the 21 st Century Act and of Senate Bill 06-179 which created the Water Reserve Account, was to help Colorado ll1eet its present and future needs for water. We believe this non-structural activity - "1. 00 Years of San Luis Valley Reservoirs" Celebration will help to further this calIse. Second ISS1Ie: Rick hac.f sorne ques,tions vvhether this educational act/vit)) shall assist in lneeting those vvater supp(v needs identlfiecl in the S'tate11Jide Water SilpjJI)) Initiative. We will try to address that issue. Water storage in the Rio Grande Basin, as in practically every basin in Colorado, is critical to tIle ef1icient use of the water supplies available. The Rio Grande is very linlited ill the a!nount of storage available - the total capacity of all the nlajor reservoirs is about 130,000 acre feet. But even with this linlited storage, the reservoirs are only used at a fraction of their capacity. The last tinle the reservoirs were [1111 was 1949. This lack of use was not beca1lse there was a lack of water to store. During the nliddle eighties and nliddle nineties, the Rio Grande recorded SOlne of the largest flows ever. Six of those years Elephant Butte spilled and Colorado with no C0111pact COll1111itnlent could have stored huge alllounts of water. One of the reasons for this lack of use is that all the San Luis Valley reservoirs are nearly 100 years old. They are earthen structures built and ll1aintained by private nloney and they have a lot ofproblenls. Gates, spillways, and the danls thenlselves need lllajor repairs, and are restricted in the all10ul1t of capacity allowed. I~arnlers al1d ranchers who stand all of the cost of operation and ll1aintenance are hard-pressed to raise the nloney for these l1lajor repairs. MllCh of the public perception is that these reservoirs benefit only a few farnlers that use the water for irrigation. Yet for years they have provided nlany public benefits such as flood control, fish and wildlife habitat - recreational and environnlental. Much of the water that is stored is later released and run into recharge pits that help stabilize the aquifers. This benefits everyone in the San :Luis Valley. In order to raise the necessary finances and elicit the support which is essential to inlprove these facilities and begin to use thenl to their full potential, a well-illforl1led public will be necessary. That is the goal of tIle planned celebratiol1.