BOARD00151 ‎(3)‎

• Board Meeting Date: 3/12/2007
• Description: WSP Section - Animas-La Plata Project Updates - Intergovernmental Agreement Establishing the ALP Operations and Maintenance Association and Proposed Concept Paper
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

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Water Planning Relationship: SNOTEL data is integral to all of the CWCB program
functions and provides the means to assess and forecast conditions for snowpack, streamflow, and
reservoir storage within the given water year. This data source is the key feature in presentations
that kick off the Colorado Governor's Flood and Water Availability Task Forces.

Recommendation: Staff gives a high recommendation for funding of this project because of the
importance to water supply protection, flood protection and water resource managers. Additional
automated snowpack instruments will provide real-time data to assist in water supply and flood
forecasting. In addition, it matches effectively with local and federal resources.

2. Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network (CoCoRaHS)

Beneficia ry /G ran tee/Con tractor:
Amount of Request:

Colorado State University, Colorado Climate Center, Various
$19,200 Ranking: Low

Product Produced: Funding will be used to continue the efforts of the Community Collaborative
Rain, Hail, and Snow Network (CoCoRaHS). This project began in Larimer County in 1998 and is
cUITently a statewide volunteer network. Funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) has
allowed Colorado to benefit from a creative science education program that encourages citizen
participation in monitoring precipitation and its impacts on our state. The target is to place special
emphasis on recruiting more volunteers and working closely with schools in agricultural and
mountainous areas of Colorado to better monitor water supplies, runoff, soil moisture and emerging
or potential drought and flood conditions. This data is assimilated by weather data observer
networks like the National Weather Service, Urban Drainage and Flood Control District, etc. There
are currently over 1500 volunteers that measure rain, hail, and snow. Opposition to hail cannons in
the San Luis Valley led to rain and hail observations in and out of the target area by the proponents
and those opposing hail cannons. The ability to collect directly at and near the site will enable the
CWCB as the regulatory agency to assist the locals in environmental monitoring and the collection
of trends and patterns data that aide in decision making and get closer to answering the questions:
What are the precipitation and hail totals in and out of the hail cannon target areas?

Water Planning Relationship: Access to accurate, detailed and timely precipitation data IS
critical for drought monitoring, water supply planning and management, construction project
planning and design, flood waming and documentation, and water education. As such, the CWCB
benefited from CoCoRaHS in 2006.

Recommendation: Staff gives a low recommendation for funding of this project because other
higher priority projects were identified and funding is limited. If additional funding becomes
available, supporting the development of a network of CoCoRaHS gages should be considered.

3. Evapo- Transpiration (ET) Mapping Project

Beneficiary/Gran tee/Co n tracto r:
Amount of Request:

CSU, Various
$43,800

Ranking:

Low

Product Produced: The purpose of this project is to produce, test and distribute credible high
resolution statewide maps of evapo-transpiration weekly through the growing season from both
native vegetation, urban landscapes and irrigated and dry land crop land. Existing sources of data
will be used including the Colorado Agricultural Meteorological Network (COAGMET) operated by
Colorado State University, the Remote Automated Weather Station (RAWS) network operated by

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