NorthPlatteBasinWaterSupplyandNeedsReport

• Basin Roundtable: North Platte
• Title: Water Supply & Needs Report for the North Platte Basin
• Date: 6/1/2006
• Author: CDM
• Basin Roundtables - Doc Type: Needs Assessment Documents

Section 8
Options for the North Platte Basin

This section presents the future water supply options that
water providers are pursuing to meet their needs. SWSI
has termed these options "Identified Projects and
Processes" and it is estimated, under a best case
scenario, that approximately 80 percent of Colorado's
future needs can be met by implementation of these
options. However, that leaves a remaining gap of
20 percent (118,200 AF). In addition, if some portion of
the Identified Projects and Processes are not
successfully implemented, it may be prudent to have
some conceptual solutions that could be pursued. The
types of options available are described in Section 9.

This section outlines some of the basin-specific options,
which when combined are termed Alternatives, that could
help address unmet future water supply needs.

8.1 Methods Employed to Assess

Water Needs

As described in Section 5, all types of water use, from
M&I to agricultural, recreational to environmental, are
expected to be significant in 2030. Using input and
feedback from the SWSI Basin Roundtables as a
foundation, SWSI examined how the future water needs
of each use and user could be met Water providers and
users, interest groups, organizations, and individuals
throughout Colorado have identified a plethora of
potential solutions to address future needs. In many
cases, water management solutions were more
numerous and further developed for M&I uses, while
agricultural, recreational, and environmental solutions
were fewer or more conceptual in nature. This is partially
a result of the technical, planning, and financial
resources available to M&I users that allow for more
detailed planning and financial resources for
implementation.

This section documents the results of SWSI's efforts to:

. Catalog and characterize specific water management
solutions that are being contemplated around the
state for each type of use.

. Identify the amount of water, by basin and subbasin,
that will be produced by projects or processes that are
expected to move forward with a reasonable degree

S:\1177\Basin Reports\North Platte\SB_North Platte.doc

of certainty by 2030 - called "Identified Projects and
Processes" in SWSI.

. Estimate the remaining amount of water needed (the
"gap" in supply) in each basin to meet 2030 needs,
assuming each of the Identified Projects and
Processes completely meets its supply goals.

. Consider the potential implications if a portion of the
Identified Projects and Processes are not successfully
implemented.

A detailed discussion of the methods employed to
assess water needs for the North Platte and other basins
can be found in Section 6.1 of the SWSI Report

Supply availability is discussed in Section 7. Water
management solutions that are less ready for
implementation, but could be considered for addressing
the remaining "gap" between supply and demands (after
subtracting the yields of the Identified Projects and
Processes), are described in Section 9.

Key findings of the water needs assessment conducted
under SWSI include:

. Most M&I water providers that responded to survey
data requests indicated that they either have identified
plans or processes underway to meet their estimated
demands through 2030.

. It is critical that the Identified Projects and Processes
are successfully implemented to meet those future
M&I needs or the gap between supply and demand
will increase.

. While M&I demands will increase substantially by
2030, as much as 80 percent of that increase could
be met through the successful implementation of the
Identified Projects and Processes already underway
or planned for implementation by M&I water
providers.

. Solutions for addressing agricultural, recreational, and
environmental water needs are less well-defined and
less certain in their implementation due to a number
of factors, such as funding constraints, or an inability
or mechanism for the beneficiary to contribute
financially.

. The CWCB has one of the most proactive and
ambitious instream flow programs in the United

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