10 Notes

• Title: Colorado’s Interbasin Compact Negotiations: Development of an Institutional Framework - Notes
• Date: 12/17/2004
• Author: Russell George, Frank McNulty, Peter Nichols, Eric Hecox
• IBCC - Doc Type: Program Planning, Budget & Contracts

Revised: 7/26/2007

Need an inventory of E. and rec. needs
o

State can promote conservation on front range
o

SWSI has documented concerns – Can continue to provide a forum for
o
discussion

Watershed groups – SWSI has provided a watershed or basin forum
o

PA doctrine is adver sarial; need a parallel collaborative process
o

Roundtable reps is a good start on basin reps for the negotiations
o

Interbasin compacts can help provide some certainty
o

How create trust – helps to bring new players to the table; work on
o
funding issues; need ba sin of origin protection; need to look at values
(value of drying up ag vs drying up stream) econ value

Format of public comments is important – Power Point format hinders
o
public participation

Shouldn’t rush through transbasin discussions – need long - term and better
o
format

Need to address institutional barriers to efficiency (conservation)
o

Interbasin discussions: Need more than just mitigation; need to address
o
social/cultural impacts; compensatory storage is not an answer; need to
build trust first before d iscussions occur

Ideas on Compact Idea (from Karen)
?

Needs to be state wide (not basin to basin)
st
?

1 need follow - up on SWSI – public feedback and revision
?

Can’t be top up – have basins select people

Start with round tables and have roundtables select peopl e
o

Need federal representation
o
?

Model the process after the basin roundtables
?

Basin of origin protection

West slop doesn’t want a laundry list of what is required; front range does
o

Make flexible
o
?

If presented as how transbasin diversions are going to move for ward people won’t
participate; but if presented as how state is going to move forward and solve
problems (look at more than just transbasin diversions as solutions)

Look at a range of issues: retirement; ag efficiency; in - basin solutions
o
(identified in SWS I); transbasin w/ mitigation and enhansment; storage
enlargement; operating criteria (serve multiple needs)
?

Steering Committee can’t be appointed; must have some basin selection
?

Public Outreach – work with CO Water Ed. Foundation and citizen outreach
group s; also better website than SWSI had
?

Build as a branch of SWSI – State wide round table
?

Learn from what SWSI didn’t do in terms of public outreach
?

Gunnison and CO can address Compact issues as opposed to giving up water
through transbasin diversions

Could be modeled after watershed planning process

3