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0))1088 STATE OF COLORADO Colorado Water Conservation Board Department of Natural Resources 1313 Sherman Street, Room 721 Denver, Colorado 80203 Phone: (303) 866-3441 FAX: (303) 866-4474 . MEMORANDUM Q) TO: Greg Walcher Kent Holsinger Peter Evans Dan McAulliffe Bill Owens Governor Greg E.Walcher Executive Director FROM: Randy Seaholm Peter H. Evans CWCB Director DATE: February 25, 2000 Dan McAuliffe Deputy Director SUBJECT: Future Depletion Estimates in the Upper Colorado River Basin Background You have asked that I explain how Colorado develops its future depletion estimates and to address the observation offered by the Colorado River Water Conservation District that Colorado may substantially use up its Colorado River apportionment by about 2020 given the current rate of depletion increases, Discussion Each Upper Division State, through the Upper Colorado River Commission (UCRC), provides estimates of their future depletions, Furthermore, the Upper Division States have acquiesced to ReClamation's 1988 Hydrologic Determination that at least 6.0 million acre-feet of fIrm yield is available to the Upper Division annually, The future depletion estimates, in conjunction with the current depletions identifIed in Reclamation's consumptive uses and losses report, count against Colorado's 51.75 % share of the 6,000,000 acre-feet (3,079,125 acre-feet). These future depletion estimates are used on a continual basis for planning purposes only, such as determining how quickly to bring on new water supply and salinity control projects, reservoir operation studies, determining likely surpluses and shortages, and for power-rate studies. Colorado, as have each of the Upper Division states, developed future depletion estimates by sub-basins by fIrst examining unused capacity in existing projects and then adding in depletions from the most likely major new water projects in each sub-basin, These future depletion estimates are then added to the currently identifIed depletions. This process results in the future depletions table that was recently revised and adopted by the UCRC on December 15, 1999 (Attachment 1), The future depletion table adopted by the UCRC suggests Colorado will reach full depletions between 2050 and 2060.