OSPB Request - 11-1-06

• Title: The Interbasin Compact Process: An Update on the Status of HB 05-1177 & HB 06-1400
• Date: 11/1/2006
• IBCC - Doc Type: Program Planning, Budget & Contracts

Water Supply Rese rve Account : Two key piece s of the Interbasin Compact Process is providing
an incentive for stakeholder participation and providing a mechanism to implement solutions the
roundtables and the IBCC agree on. SB 06 - 179 accomplishes both of these objectives by creating
the Water Supply Reserve Account (the Account) which will invest $40 million over four years in
water activities . The IBCC has worked cooperatively with the CWCB to jointly establish Criteria
and Guidelines for the allocation of monies for the Account. In order for a water activity to be
funded out of the Account, it must have the approval of the local roundtable and meet these
jointly established Criteria and Guidelines. To further the grassroots nature of this process,
roundtables have wide discretion over the approval of water activities, and the Criteria and
Guidelines encourage water stakeholder s to cooperate on developing collaborative solutions to
our water challenges. Basin Roundtables are currently evaluating proposed water activitie s to be
funded out of the Water Supply Reserve Account.

Continuing Issues

The work of the roundtables in the near future will predominately consist of three parallel
activities. Roundtables will continue with their self - education agenda, increasing the ir role as a
forum for education and debate regarding water needs and potential methods for meeting those
needs. Second, roundtables will devote substantial time to developing their basin - wide water
needs assessments . With the resources of HB 06 - 1400 rou ndtables have the opportunity continue
the good work of SWSI and ensure that they are making rational decisions based upon the best
available information. Third, roundtables will devote increasing amounts of time to identifying,
debating, and agreeing on potential solutions to their water challenges. As collaborative solutions
emerge from the Interbasin Compact Process the Water Supply Reserve Account will be an
important vehicle for the implementation of those solutions.

The IBCC is leading and suppor ting the efforts of the basin roundtables. They will increasingly
serve as a forum to explore solutions to our state’s water challenges by examining the results of
SWSI Phase II and discussing solutions that move up through the roundtables . The IBCC will
support the roundtable’s activities through three established Working Groups: Public Education,
Participation, and Outreach; Needs Assessment; and Water Supply Reserve Account. These
IBCC Working Groups will provide assistance and guidance to the roundta bles on these three
important issues.

Roundtable and IBCC members are volunteering a tremendous amount of time, energy, and
creative thought to this process. I t is important to honor their work by providing the resources
necessary to have robust and prod uctive basin roundtables. This includes maintaining technical
assistance for the roundtables, ensuring they have the administrative and logistical support needed
for a strong grassroots process, and maintaining the ability to implement cooperative solutio ns to
our water challenges through the Water Supply Reserve Account.

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