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<br />.. <br /> <br />000694 <br /> <br /> <br />United States Department of the Interior <br /> <br />IN REPLY REFER TO: <br /> <br />U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY <br />Box 25046 M.s4 ~ <br />Denver Federal Center <br />Denver, Colorado 80225 <br />WATER RESOURCES DIVISION <br />COLORADO DISTRICT <br /> <br />RECE~VED <br />APR I 3 2000 <br /> <br />COivr.i.lu(,) t'r'..-" <br />C~.1servalion &~d <br /> <br />MEMORANDUM <br /> <br />April 11, 2000 <br /> <br />Peter Evans <br />Colorado Water Conservation Board <br />1313 Sherman Street, Room 721 <br />Denver, CO 80203 <br /> <br />Dear Mr. Evans: <br /> <br />Last September, the USGS hosted a meeting of cooperating agencies to discuss the USGS <br />funding outlook for Federal fiscal year 2000 (FYOO) and possible implications for USGS data- <br />collection programs in Colorado. The meeting participants suggested that a similar meeting be <br />held each year, in April or May, to talk about current data-program issues and funding <br />expectations for the following year. We are planning the second annual data-program meeting <br />for the morning of May 17, 2000, in Denver. <br /> <br />Since the Congressional appropriations process for FY01 is still in the early stages, it is unlikely <br />that we will know by mid-May exactly what the Colorado District's allocation of Federal matching <br />dollars for the Coop Water Program will be for next year, It also is unlikely that we will know the <br />level of funding that the Congress might approve for the USGS's own investment in the national <br />data-collection networks, Therefore, we cannot yet project firm costs to our cooperators for <br />data-collection activities next year. We will, however, be able to talk about the Administration's <br />proposal to the Congress for the USGS's FY01 funding and the range of likely effects of <br />appropriations actions on our costs for collection of streamflow, ground-water, and water-quality <br />data. <br /> <br />At the meeting last September, we alluded to the possibility that for FYOO, appropriations for <br />direct USGS funding of data-collection network operations might be less than in FY99. That <br />possibility became reality, In Colorado, our allocation of USGS funds for network operations <br />(known as CBR funds) fell short of the need by the equivalent of four streamflow gages, Those <br />gages are: <br /> <br />08217500 - Rio Grande at Wagon Wheel Gap <br />09126000 - Cimarron River near Cimarron <br />09128000 - Gunnison River below Gunnison Tunnel <br />09342500 - San Juan River near Pagosa Springs <br /> <br />Replacement funding through the USGS Coop Program has been made available for the <br />streamgage at Rio Grande at Wagon Wheel Gap by the Colorado Water Conservation Board. <br />The Bureau of Reclamation has agreed to fund the streamgage at Cimarron River near <br />