Minutes Feb 2007 CBRT

• Basin Roundtable: Colorado
• Title: Minutes
• Date: 2/26/2007
• Basin Roundtables - Doc Type: Minutes

7. Rick Brown of the CWCB discussed Section 179 Grant Requests.

a. $4 million grant requests were received and over half came from the CBRT; $5.5 million is
the total available for the first grant cycle.

b. The four criteria outlined in the statute haven't been fleshed out yet. Senator Isgar's
interpretation of the purposes of the SB 179 grants is quite different than what was in the
statute. The 4 criteria in the statute are summarized below:

1. Competitive grants for environmental compliance and feasibility studies.

11. Technical assistance regarding permitting, feasibility studies, and environmental
compliance.

111. Studies or analyses of structural, nonstructural, consumptive, and nonconsumptive
water needs, projects or activities; and

IV. Structural and nonstructural water projects or activities.

c. The opposing votes and a discussion of why people voted against a grant application at
roundtable meetings should be described in the grant application.

d. Budgets should be more detailed and describe the task being accomplished, level of effort
needed, rates being charged, schedules and milestones, and what the expected deliverables
are. The application should specify where any shortfalls will be made up if the grant
application does not cover 100% of the anticipated costs. For instance, if a grant request is
for a feasibility study of a pipeline, the source of funding for the pipeline itself should be set
forth in the grant application.

e. Each October the CWCB will revise the grant guidelines as needed. Rick Brown stated he
was the roundtables' advocate for shepherding the grant requests through the CWCB. He
asked whether grants should be denied for technicalities or because they are incomplete, and
several CBRT members objected to this. John Redifer commented that grant applications
should not be denied for technicalities.

f. The CWCB votes on grant applications at Canon City on March 13, and applicants will have
an opportunity to promote their grant request at that meeting.

8. Oil shale and energy development's impact on water. Report by Kirby Wynn, US Geological
Survey, Grand Junction.

a. The USGS is charged with assessing the quantity and quality of US water supplies. There
are 111 stream gaging stations on the Western Slope, of which 55 also collect data on water
quality such as salinity and selenium concentrations. All data collected by the USGS is
publicly available. The USGS goals are:

1. Manage water resources to minimize flood losses to life and property.
11. Effectively manage groundwater and surface water resources
111. Protect and enhance water resources for human health, aquatic health, and the
environment.
IV. Contribute to wise physical and economic development of US water resources.

L\CWCB Imaging\Caleb\Minutes\Colorado\2007\Minutes Feb 2007 CBRTdoc

4

7/l<