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South Platte River Task Force Briefing Document required to be provided on a daily basis, but are instead “aggregated” or accumulated for a month or an entire winter season. Will allow limited aggregation to occur during a month for efficiency of Í replacement purposes Also will allow aggregated prepaid (earlier than otherwise required) replacement Í of depletions if there will not be injury Factors Squeezing Water Supply and Driving Debate Regarding South Platte Well Use ¼ Increased water demand with population growth Í Drought/climate change Í Continued transfer of senior agricultural water rights to municipal uses Í Increased reuse of transmountain diversions Í Water Court and Supreme Court decisions regarding regulation of wells and Í protection of senior surface rights Statute changes- Increase in numbers of SWSPs Í Earlier calls because of well use limits Í Heavier use of reservoirs for irrigation Í Increased installation of sprinklers, reducing return flows Í Increased value of water and drought conditions have led to less cooperation and Í tighter administration, for example, no more “Gentleman’s Agreement (historical agreement between reservoir operators to allow upstream, out-of-priority storage during winter fill season). Lining of gravel pits below Denver and on tributaries to recover reusable supplies Í (pumping or exchange to cities) Increased vegetation in channels due to low flow conditions Í How Have Farmers Responded to These Changes ? ¼ Augmentation Plans and SWSPs- subject to water court and State Engineer Í processes Increased use of surface water supplies, especially early in the year Í Installation of pivot ponds Í Changes in cropping patterns (more winter wheat, alfalfa, etc.) Í Increased use of the South Platte River alluvial aquifer for retiming of depletions Í (recharge ponds, augmentation wells, recharge wells) More use of reusable effluent and reservoir releases for replacement Í Current Enforcement by State and Division Engineers ¼ Approximately 2,400 wells have been tagged or issued certified orders to cease Í pumping. Continuing to field check wells and issue orders as appropriate. Filed or in process of filing complaints concerning 75 order violations to date. The Í majority of tagged well owners have complied with orders to cease pumping. Issued a large number of notices and orders concerning measurement devices Í and accounting Enforcement has been at least a year in arrears because of limitations in staffing. Í Initially, the wells that were curtailed were primarily for supplemental irrigation Í supply. However, currently, more wells that are critical for farm operations have been ordered to cease pumping, such as those in Central WAS. Division of Water Resources (State and Division Engineers) Staffing ¼ Legislature approved 4.5 additional people in 2006 (for ground water Í enforcement purposes mainly associated with wells pumping without an SWSP or augmentation plan). - 11 -