20b

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

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accept comments through the end of this year. Comments were submitted by Denver Water, the
Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District, the Colorado River Water Conservation District,
and others. The State of Colorado is a cooperating agency and may submit comments at various
points in the process. For more information, visit the following website:
http://www. blm. gov /nnp/ co/kfo-gsfo/

In a parallel process, there is an informal working group consisting of water providers who rely
on Colorado River water, headwaters Counties, the State, Trout Unlimited, the Colorado River
Water Conservation District, the BLM, and others to discuss whether there may be alternative
methods for resource protection that should be considered during this suitability analysis phase.
Ted Kowalski, of the CWCB staff has been spearheading this effort for the CWCB. There is a
request for funding to help this process that the Colorado Water Conservation Board Finance
Subcommittee will consider at the upcoming September meeting.

In addition, attached to this Directors report (Attachment 22b-15) are two summaries of the wild
and scenic reviews currently being conducted by BLM and the U.S. Forest Service, and their
current status. These charts are in response to Director Schwindt's request at the July, 2007
Board meeting.

See also the Yampa River Section of this Director's report.

POTENTIAL WATER ACQUISITIONS IN UPPER COLORADO RIVER BASIN: On
September 5, 2007, CWCB staff met with Mely Whiting of Trout Unlimited, Water
Commissioner Neal Misbach, and several local water users, including the Town of Granby, to
discuss potential water acquisitions by the CWCB for instream flow use to address low flow
situations on the upper Colorado River in late summer and early fall. Discussion topics included
temporary loans or leases of water rights, long-terms leases, and proposed legislation similar to
HB 06-1012 to provide protection to water rights owners who lease water to the CWCB for ISF
use long-term in the context of future changes of the leased water right. The discussions were
positive and a follow up meeting will occur sometime in October or November.

COLORADO RIVER AND CWCB GRANTS: Agreements are in place for funding cloud
seeding activities through the Colorado River Seven Basin States. The CWCB has $150K this
year and is requesting about $133K from the Lower Basin. The budget for this year is $300K for
UT, CO, WY. If the exhibit for this year and CWCB funding is allocated as staff is planning
then:

.Colorado Springs Utilities will get $16.5K LB funds carried over from last winter and
$7K CWCB.
. The three Southwestern cloud seeding permits get $24K LB and $24K CWCB.
. The Grand Mesa will get $8,324 LB and $8,324 that funds a proposal from Desert
Research Institute in Reno, NV to update the cloud seeding solution, lease and install and
operate Colorado's first remote operated generator for one winter and will install and
icing rate sensor on top of the Grand Mesa to guide decision making.
. The Gunnison Program has two permits and will get a total of $16K LB and $16K
CWCB.

Flood Protection. Water Project Planning and Finance. Sn-eam and Lake Protection
Water Supply Protection. Conservation Planning