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South Platte River Task Force Briefing Document C.R.S. § 37-90-103(6). The drainage of Box Elder Creek extends from its origin just south of Interstate 70 near Watkins, northward to where it joins with the alluvial aquifer of the South Platte River approximately ten miles southeast of Greeley. As proposed, the basin would have encompass ed a number of the wells included in the ¼ Central WAS augmentation plan application, along with many of the wells in the decreed Central GMS augmentation plan. If successful, this effort would have removed the area that was subject of the proposed designated ground water basin from the jurisdiction of the water court and the provisions of 1969 Act. Instead, the subject area would have been under the administrative jurisdiction of the Colorado Ground Water Commission (“Commission”) pursuant to the 1965 Act. This would have had numerous implications, the most important to Central WAS being the fact that well owners would no longer be affected by the South Platte Rules and the augmentation requirements included therein. The details of that effort are as follows: On March 6, 2006, John Moser, a well owner in Box Elder, along with the Central ¼ Colorado Water Conservancy District (“Petitioners”), filed with the Commission a Petition to create a new designated ground water basin, to be known as the Box Elder Creek Designated Ground Water Basin. This would have been the first such basin created within the last twenty years; most were created during the 1960s and 1970s, under the provisions of the 1965 Act. See C.R.S. § 37-90-106. At its regular May, 2006 meeting, the Commission heard argument from concerned water ¼ users regarding the appropriateness of the petition. After reviewing briefs from the Petitioners and parties opposing the designation and hearing additional argument, the Commission, at its August 2006 meeting, ordered that the petition be published and referred to a Hearing Officer for determination. A nine-day hearing was conducted by the Hearing Officer during the period of January 16 ¼ through January 30, 2007. During that time the Petitioners presented a case in support of the creation of a designated ground water basin, including significant expert testimony regarding the hydrogeology of the Box Elder Creek drainage. Numerous objectors also presented evidence and expert testimony. After hearing all of the testimony and evidence, on February 20, 2007 the Hearing Officer issued a decision recommending that the Commission dismiss the petition. On May 18, 2007, at its regular meeting, the Commission voted to affirm the Hearing Officer’s decision, effectively dismissing the petition. The effect of this decision is that the wells in the Box Elder Creek basin remain under the ¼ jurisdiction of the water court and are subject to the augmentation requirements of the 1969 Act and the South Platte Rules. The petitioners filed a “Notice of Appeal and Complaint for Judicial Review” in the Weld County District Court on June 14, 2007, to appeal the decision of the Hearing Officer and the Commission. There is no additional information regarding the status of that action at this time. II. Basin Facts and Issues In addition to this chronological background, following are some pertinent facts and issues regarding the current situation on the South Platte River. Basin Description ¼ Total South Platte River basin drainage area is 23,138 square miles. Í Precipitation averages 10 to 17 inches per year Í - 9 -