20b

• Board Meeting Date: 9/18/2007
• Description: CWCB Director's Report
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

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The new deal worries some along the stretch of the Arkansas that flows from the mountains east
to the plains out to Lamar.

John Singletmy, chairman of the board of the Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy
District, said the organization may sue the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which owns Pueblo
Reservoir, if the agreement is signed. He feels handcuffed by the 40-year agreement and worries
that water taken from the Arkansas corridor from Pueblo to Lamar could hurt the valley now and
in the future. Fanners have already abandoned land, he said, because of the lack of water. Since
1950, Singletary said, the river valley has lost 60,000 acres offannland because of the dwindling
water supply. He and others also are concerned about the water quality of the Arkansas River
and lower flow rates.

The agreement between the city and the government calls for Aurora to purchase the water for
$43 per acre-foot when the city needs it if it is available, said Mark Pifller, deputy director of
water resources for Aurora Water. Fanners in the area have senior water rights and could take
the water in drought conditions. The cost will increase annually by 1.79 percent.

With the city of 300,000 residents expected to grow, officials believe it is important to secure as
much water as it can.

CWCB AWARDS WATER CONSERVATION PLANNING GRANT TO LAMAR: The
City of Lamar was awarded $14,897 from the Water Conservation Planning Grant Program, to
aid in updating their Water Conservation Plan to meet the requirements outlined in SB 07-008.
Lamar is a covered entity located in eastern Prowers County east of Pueblo, Colorado. The City
water supply comes 100% from ground water which is derived from the Clay Creek Aquifer.
Lamar's population growth rate is at .7%, therefore by 2050 the County will need an additional
513 acre feet of water, which they plan to meet through implementing water conservation
measures that they identify within their plan. With the assistance of The Engineering
Consultants (TEC), the applicant will use the CWCB's Water Conservation Plan Guidance
Document as a framework for the Plan's organization and content, incorporating the State's 9
planning steps and addressing the statutory requirements for all plans. The planning process has
begun early September 2007, and is scheduled for CWCB's approval by May 2008, at which
time the entity will be eligible for water efficiency grant money to assist with implementing their
plan.

KANSAS VS. COLORADO LITIGATION ACCOUNT UPDATE: We issued 6 month, no
cost, time extensions for the CSU weather station and irrigation studies contracts and the
Purchase Orders with our expert witness consultants which will now expire on December 31,
2007. CSU has begun fabrication of the second, smaller reference lysimeter but we still need to
develop a final design and installation plan with a detailed cost estimate. The additional
$90,000 in funding which the Board authorized at the March meeting is still available for this
purpose. The issue of long-term funding for lysimeter operation remains. The Board will be
reviewing a $50,000 request to use Water Supply Reserve Account funding for one year of such
operation. Staff has recommended denial of the request as submitted due to the lack of a specific
study plan, budget and schedule. In addition the request does not address the issue of long-term
funding, nor earlier assurances that the CWCB would not have to fund long-term operation. The
immediate results of the lysimeter studies are still vital to efforts to revise consumptive use
calculations in the HI Model for purpose of determining Stateline depletion offset obligations in
Flood Protection. Water Project Planning and Finance. Sn-eam and Lake Protection
Water Supply Protection. Conservation Planning