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<br />result in lower stream.f7ows. Given that there is a lot qfcOJ?/ltsion over what will <br />happen in thefltture, how might or should we adjust our assumptions? <br /> <br />Path Forward <br />As new projects (and the use of conditional water rights) are contemplated in the <br />Colorado River system it will be important to narrow the range of potentiall y available <br />water. Given uncertainties in climatology and hydrology, the answer to this question will <br />never be a single number. However, additional analysis can remove some of the <br />uncertainty. <br /> <br />The CWCB Projects bill authorizes $500,000 for the Board (with the involvement of the <br />roundtables) to study supply availability on the Colorado River and its tributaries. The <br />CWCB study should be the venue in which to address this big-picture issue. The IBCC <br />and the roundtables can participate in the scoping and execution of this study. <br /> <br />Question Two: How would a call by the lower basin states be administered <br />within Colorado? <br /> <br />Summary <br />Many people feel that before significant new development can take place anywhere in the <br />Colorado River system, we need to know how a compact call would be administered <br />within the state. The only way to assess the risk of further devel opment is to know how a <br />compact call would be administered should it occur. <br /> <br />Several members of the IBCC stated that how a compact call on the Colorado River will <br />be administered is one of the key questions. Will it be apportioned among all four upper <br />basins? Will junior users be curtailed? These questions must be answered before you <br />can do a risk analysis. <br /> <br />The Yampa/White/Green Roundtable is particularly interested in this issue. If in the <br />event of a compact call Colorado's obligations will be met by curtailment of junior <br />appropriators within the state without regard to basin, the fact that many of the rights in <br />the Yampa/White/Green Basin are junior to rights in other sub-basins could mean that the <br />call would have a disproportionate impact on that area. <br /> <br />Path Forward <br />Eric Wilkinson posed a critical question at the 2/2/07 IBCC meeting: Can determining <br />State policy regarding a compact call be a democratic process? Would that compromise <br />our negotiating position as a state? He went on to say that input from the Roundtables <br />on how various administrative choices, such as propOliional curtailment based on flow <br />from each sub-basin, could impact them might be useful. However, ultimately the <br />decision on how to administer a compact call is a policy decision that must be made by <br />the State of Colorado. Other IBCC members agreed with this summary. <br /> <br />This big-picture issue could be addressed using the following steps: <br />