april 10 South Platte Basin Roundtable Meeting

• Basin Roundtable: South Platte
• Title: Minutes
• Date: 4/10/2007
• Basin Roundtables - Doc Type: Minutes

links on website so liaison would work with roundtable as a facilitator of
information sharing.

2. Groundwater Sub-Committee report: Joe Frank reports: Dinner
presentation today by Andy Moore later in the agenda to give in-depth
view of report.
Ralf Topper: final report available on Colorado Water Conservation
Board website. www.cwcb.gov

3. Legislative Report: Eric Wilkinson
--State is having problem with severance tax; 1182: funding of
Endangered Species Conservation Trust Fund: original 6 million has been
withdrawn; 5 million authorized last year: 3 million remains authorized for
this year; continued analysis of Species Conservation Trust Fund: one
source, reducing 179 funds to place more money in Species Conservation
Trust Fund so that state can move forward on Platte program:

Eric Hecox: Operational fund of legislature is source of these funds; one
of the ideas is to reduce amount of water supply reserve account in short
term but extend program; thus less money next year, but have 5 years
instead of 4 years for program.

4. CWCB Report: Eric Wilkinson: re: Water Supply Reserve Applications
and need for completeness of these; CWCB will expect more fully
complete applications in future, as mentioned previously. Applications
must be complete. i.e.: project schedules, project budgets, how projects
meet statutory requirements as to purpose and goals for meeting
requirements articulated in SWSI. CWCB wanting roundtables to be
better "gate keeper"; also proposal that there will additional staff time to
assist applicants.
--some discussion on SB 122: projects bill; this usually goes through
easily to legislature; did not pass through house easily; addition to it of
$1 million for forest health; variety of additions from house ag committee;
more challenge on certain issues; 100,000 allocated out of construction
fund to study fens; 1 million study to see if fens could be transplanted and
sustainability; matching funds represented 10%; tried to remove this from
projects bill; this would affect % of an acre of wetlands; see this in
comparison with ag dry up;
Fens: (Outcropping of unusual flora that attracts unusual fauna which
appears on surface because of warm, mineral-rich underground water
flows; Fens appear only in Canada, Alaska and a select few places in
Colorado. The Nature Conservancy has a preserve in South Park; tours
available for educational purposes: High Creek Fen, about 7 miles south of
Fairplay on east side of285.)
Elephant Rock Dam in Arkansas basin; also identified fens in Jasper
Reservoir site; uniqueness of fens at issue.

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