South Platte Basin Roundtable Meeting Minutes

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Demographics: 33 percent were municipal water providers Years of water experience: lots Findings: Trend of Official Tmst: Federal: no direct correlation between collaboration and tmst: positive correlation State: positive correlation between collaboration and tmst Social tmst: Conclusions and Recommendations: Collaborative leadership fundamental part Group accountability Membership diversity could be expanded. V. Tamarisk Mapping and Inventory: John Heideman, Tamarisk Coalition Tamarisk imported plant from Eurasia in l800s: escaped into Riparian Corridor --handout: graph --mapping project results: -- Tamarisk and Russian Olive both are targets of project. --mapping is finished: next step: in CO river watershed: basin wide plan on how to attack plan; everyone included that has land managers in the entire basin; Dept of Local Affairs will entertain a grant coming for funding for plan; 6 county plan: Garfield County is in the lead; --South Platte is at early stages of infestation; we are at excellent stage to control infestation as opposed to control and eradication in CO or AK --Suggestion: form lead committee to find funding for watershed wide plan that other basins would follow: AK is in process of forming plan, San Juan is in process of forming. --Watershed wide plan purpose: approach the federal funding and other large granting agencies to garnish attention and money. --Cost per acre treated is less on South Park because of access; also in South Platte, dealing with smaller stands of plants as well as density of infestation; 20% cover as opposed to AK with 54% coverage, for example. --Eradication: integrative weed/pest management approach; from upstream down. Recommendation is to do demonstration projects in hiking area/biking area/hwy; -- Total costs: treatment costs; average costs per acre treated vs. average cost per ac ft of water preserved. Note comparison with cost of water. (See handout) -- Tamarisks: water lost through trans evaporation into environment --See hwy between Los Vegas NV and Imperial Valley, nothing growing but Tamarisks; --Discussions are ongoing to get lower basin states involved; for example, 17 million customers in Los Angeles -- Treatment permanent? Costs include planning, design, control, revegetation, monitoring, and maintenance activities. Example: CO national monument: off the river, not in riparian zone; 14 man team for 3months: 2nd year, 2 weeks; 3rd year: 1 day; 4th year: one person, over period of 5-6 years, 10