20b

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

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"-' FED ERAL AND INTERST A TE,,-,

FEDERAL ACTIVITIES REPORT: At future Board meetings I will be working with Ted
Kowalski of the CWCB Staff to provide the Board with a Federal Activities Report (which will
be attached to future director reports) that will be a summary of current federal activities and
legislation for your consideration and attention.

CHATFIELD RESERVOIR REALLOCATION PROJECT: CWCB staff members Dan
McAuliffe, Tom Browning, and Vaughn McWilliams will be leading a coalition of project
sponsors to meet in Washington D.C. with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) Headquarters
Staff and members of Colorado's Congressional Delegation. The meetings are scheduled on
September 24th and 25th and will target specific technical, administrative, and contracting issues
as well as general project support and funding requests. The Project continues to be supported by
a broad spectnul1 of cooperators and other interests, and the coalition is working hard to ensure
that the Corps and its technical consultant will complete a Preliminary Draft EIS later this fall.

SECRETARY KEMP THORNE ANNOUNCES NEW GRANT PROGRAM UNDER
WATER 2025: Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne announced a new grant program
under the Department of the Interior' s Water 2025 initiative that will enable water users to
perform broad studies of the efficiency of their water delivery systems. Water users must submit
grant proposals to Interior's Bureau of Reclamation by Dec. 4, 2007, to compete for funds for a
System Optimization Review.

The program will assist water users in evaluating the most efficient ways to manage their
irrigation systems and thus further the goals of Water 2025 to increase water conservation and
ensure adequate water supplies for future needs.

The Bureau of Reclamation will award the funds for System Optimization Reviews, each of
which will result in a plan of action that will focus on improving efficiency and operations on a
regional or basin perspective. Most improvements identified in the reviews will be eligible to
apply to the Water 2025 Challenge Grant Program for additional funding."

System Optimization Reviews will involve a multi-step process that will gather information
about the system being reviewed; identify issues and priorities; establish water conservation
goals; examine water management, water marketing and ways to prevent conflicts over water;
identify and evaluate potential improvements; define a plan of action; and prepare a final report.

Water 2025 encourages voluntary water banks and other market-based measures as authorized
under state law, promotes the use of new technology for water conservation and efficiency and
removes institutional barriers to increase cooperation and collaboration among federal, state,
tribal and private organizations.

To be eligible for one of the new System Optimization Review grants, applicants must represent
an irrigation or water district, tribal water authority, state governmental entity with water
management authority, or organizations created under state law with water delivery authority; be

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