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<br />A WATERSHED APPROACH TO THE <br />UPPER COLORADO RIVER BASIN <br />December 1999 <br /> <br />Summary: Local stakeholders in the Upper Colorado basin have organized a basinwide study of <br />the water quantity and quality issues related to growth on both the Front Range and West Slope. <br />The study will focus on existing and projected conditions in the Upper Colorado River basin, <br />examining the impacts to water quality and quantity resulting from the exercise of existing and <br />future transmountain diversion water projects and in-basin uses. <br /> <br />Background: Since Colorado has a semi-arid climate, most of the state's water falls as snow in <br />the Rockies, contributing to Colorado's winter economy. The spring snowmelt then provides the <br />Front Range cities with a significant portion oftheir water supply via transmountain diversions <br />from the West Slope. Due to their relative proximity to the Front Range, Grand and Summit <br />counties have historically been a primary source for such diversions. Based on a ten-year <br />average, the Front Range, including agricultural users, diverts approximately 368,000 acre feet of <br />water per year from Grand County and 67,000 acre feet from Summit County (an acre foot equals <br />one acre, one foot deep in water). The Front Range owns the water rights to divert more than this <br />amount. With rapid growth, the Front Range municipalities and counties are depending on <br />additional West Slope water to meet these growth needs. <br /> <br />Simultaneously, West Slope communities are also growing at an average of 4% a year. The two <br />counties in the study area include the towns of Breckenridge, Frisco, Silverthorne, Winter Park, <br />Fraser, Kremmling, Granby, and Grand Lake as well as the Keystone and Copper Mountain <br />areas. All of these areas are facing tremendous development pressures and are also looking for a <br />way to preserve enough water for their future. <br /> <br />Facing water needs from both sides of the Divide, the Upper Colorado River basin must also <br />contend with environmental, recreational, and economic effects caused by the state's dependency <br />on Colorado River water. The impacts of increasing diversions from these basins must be <br />identified and considered. This requires knowledge of the watershed and a clear understanding <br />of the hydrology of the basins. Further, information generated in this project could assist in <br />identifying solutions to problems associated with reduced stream flows in the basin. <br /> <br />Specific Issues to be Addressed: The project has three phases, The first phase involved <br />developing a Scope of Work. The second and current phase involves the collection and analysis <br />of relevant data. Finally, the third phase will seek mutually agreeable solutions to problems <br />identified by the study. Basin stakeholders will hopefully be able to address specific issues in the <br />basin, which may include water supply; water quality; instream flow needs; recreational uses; <br />water rights; and agricultural use issues. <br /> <br />The project stakeholders believe that cooperative solutions will be discovered that were not <br />apparent before due to lack of information and the right partners to effect change. Both Front <br />Range and West Slope needs must be considered. The project will evaluate instream needs while <br />balancing competing demands for diversions out of the stream. As part of this analysis, the study <br /> <br />1 <br />