1st Qrt 07 Newsletter

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

Metro Basin Roundtable

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

1) An update of the status of identified projects
and processes from SWSI.

2) A strategy to collaborate with the South Platte
needs assessment.

3) Further articulation of what the Metro Basin
water users are implementing regarding
conservation and reuse.

4) Potential opportunities for rotational fallowing/
leasing arrangements.

North Platte Basin Roundtable

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

1) A strategy to quantify unappropriated water in
the North Platte River Basin. This includes
identifying unappropriated water for all
beneficial uses and quantification by tributary
at various locations and times of the year.

2) A plan to identify and quantify the non-
consumptive uses and needs in the basin.

3) A plan to address North Platte Basin high
altitude crop consumptive use coefficients.

Rio Grande Basin Roundtable

The Rio Grande Basin Roundtable is working with
the State's technical assistance team to conduct a
San Luis Valley Groundwater Level Study. This
study includes two areas located near the Rio
Grande in the San Luis Valley and will help to
characterize the hydrologic divide between the
aquifer and the Rio Grande River.

South Platte Basin Roundtable

The South Platte Basin Roundtable is creating a
work plan to further develop its basinwide water
needs assessment. The work plan will identify
strategies to:

1) Determine where the various providers may be
looking at the same water as a future supply
including both M&I providers and agricultural
providers.

2) Determine if there is any "unappropriated
water" in the Basin.

3) Based on changes being made to the
administration of the South Platte River by the
State Engineer's Office and Water Court

estimate the impact of changes on the
availability of water from the South Platte River
and its tributaries.

4) Evaluate the impact of increased use of wholly
consumable reused water on downstream water
users.

S) Conduct a detailed supply and demand study for
the Republican River Basin.

6) Conduct a more detailed supply and demand
study for the Upper Mountain Counties in the
South Platte Basin.

7) Complete a non-consumptive needs assessment
for the South Platte Basin.

It is anticipated (but not yet approved by the full
Roundtable) that the State's technical assistance
team will address items 1-4. Separate WSRA
applications would then be developed to execute
the supply and demand studies for the Republican
River Basin and the Upper Mountain Counties. The
South Platte's non-consumptive needs assessment
would be coordinated with other roundtable's non-
consumptive needs assessments statewide.

Yampa/White Basin Roundtable

To further its needs assessment, the Yampa/White
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
Yampa/White Roundtable develop a work plan.
The work plan will contain:

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

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