1st Qrt 07 Newsletter

• Title: Interbasin Compact Process Quarterly Newsletter - 1st Quarter 2007
• Date: 1/1/2007
• IBCC - Doc Type: Fact Sheets & Quarterly Newsletters

COLORADO

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DEPARTMENT OF
NATURAL
RESOURCES

Arkansas Basin Roundtable

To further its needs assessment, the Arkansas Basin
Roundtable has requested assistance identifying,
collecting, and screening reports and studies
related to water in the Arkansas Basin. The State's
technical assistance team is working with the
Roundtable's needs assessment subcommittee to
gather this information from the Water Resources
Research Institute, the CWCB, the Colorado
Geological Survey, water entities within the
Arkansas Basin, and other appropriate institutions.
Bibliographic and summary information on relevant
studies and reports will be provided for Roundtable
review and possible incorporation into a GIS
relational database.

Colorado Basin Roundtable

To further its needs assessment, the Colorado Basin
Roundtable is developing a work plan to address
non-consumptive needs and energy needs. The
State's technical assistance team will undertake the
following activities to develop the Roundtable's
non-consumptive needs assessment:

1) Hold a workshop with environmental and
recreational representatives and interests to
coordinate non-consumptive needs assessments
statewide.

2) Based on the results of the workshop, assist the
Colorado Basin Roundtable develop a work plan.
The work plan will contain:

a. Definition and preliminary mapping of non-
consumptive values in the Colorado Basin.

b. Identification of critical/prioritized stream
reaches and associated value.

c. Identification of methods for the
quantification of needs.

d. Identification of potential projects or
methods for meeting the identified non-
consumptive needs.

e. Preliminary cost estimates for
implementation of the work plan.

In addition to working on their non-consumptive
needs, the Colorado Basin Roundtable will work
with the Yampa/White Roundtable on water supply
needs for energy development. The Colorado and
Yampa/White Roundtables approved a WSRA
application by the Colorado River Water
Conservation District (River District) to study
consumptive water needs associated with energy
development in the Colorado, White, and Yampa
River Basins. To jump start that study, the State's
technical assistance team will assist subcommittees
from the two roundtables in gathering existing
information and data and identifying data gaps.

Dolores/San Juan/San Miguel

(Southwest) Basin Roundtable

The Southwest Basin Roundtable is creating a work
plan to further develop its basinwide water needs
assessment. The work plan will contain the
following elements:

1) Consumptive use assessment-a review of
consumptive use needs from SWSI and an
identification of where updates or refinements
are needed. This section will also include an
identification of methods for updating
consumptive use needs and preliminary cost
estimates.

2) Non-consumptive use assessment-build upon
efforts from SWSI Phase 2 to identify non-
consumptive needs for the basin.

3) Alternatives to permanent agriculture dry-up-
identify opportunities within the basin for
alternatives to permanent transfers from
irrigated agriculture to municipal and industrial
(M&I) uses.

4) Analysis and options for water conservation and
efficiency-identify possibilities and methods for
identifying yields from conservation and
efficiency throughout the basin.

Gunnison Basin Roundtable

Over the next few months, the Gunnison Basin
Roundtable, with assistance from the State's
technical assistance team, will:

1) Review, refine, and/or confirm the estimate of
current and future water demands and supply
for the smaller municipalities, water districts,
and domestic water companies in the Gunnison
Basin. This will involve investigating many of the
smaller municipal areas of the Gunnison Basin
with respect to present and future water use.

2) Begin to review and refine the estimate of
current and future rural domestic demands and
supply in the Gunnison Basin.

3) Identify vulnerabilities to water supply
shortages for Gunnison Basin municipalities.
Several municipalities in the Gunnison Basin may
not have the drinking water security and level of
system redundancy that is recommended to
protect against unforeseen shortages. These
vulnerabilities will be identified and described.

4) Review, refine, and/or confirm the estimate of
future snowmaking demands in the Upper
Gunnison Basin.

S) Participate in the coordination of non-
consumptive needs assessments statewide.