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<br />Department of Natural Resources <br />Colorado ~ater Conservation Board <br />1313 Sherman Street, Room 721 <br />Denver, Colorado 80203 <br />FORE~VORD <br />October 31, 2007 <br />Fellow Coloradans: <br />Bill Ritter, Jr. <br />Governor <br />Harris D. Sherman <br />Executive Director <br />Department of <br />Natural Resources <br />In 2005, the Colorado General Assembly created a new collaborative process for addressing our state's water <br />needs when it passed HB OS-1177, The Colo~ado Wate~ for the 21 st Century Act. This process, embodied by <br />the Interstate Basin Compact Committee (IBCC) and nine Basin Roundtables (BRTs), marked the <br />continuation of the state's water planning efforts that began with the Statewide Water Supply Initiative <br />(SWSI)-the most comprehensive statewide analysis of water supply and demand ever undertaken by <br />Colorado. The intent of the Interbasin Compact Process is to take the knowledge gained through SWSI and, <br />through a grassroots approach, foster inter-basin and intra-basin dialogue and agreements that lead to a more <br />secure water future for Colorado. <br />This report documents the progress and milestones achieved by this process in 2007 and fulfills the <br />requirement of C.R.S. 37-75-105(4) to report to the House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture, <br />Livestock, and Natural Resources and the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Energy <br />on the status of compact negotiations by October 31 st of each year. <br />The initial focus of the IBCC and BRTs was to lay the foundation for the process. This included identifying <br />members and creating bylaws and ground rules upon which to operate, and it included the fundamental task of <br />using the information gained in S~VSI to educate each BRT and IBCC member on the challenges and needs of <br />their basins. <br />The strong foundation that was established in the early stages of this process enabled us to make progress on <br />some important substantive issues in 2007. During the past year, the Interbasin Compact Process focused on <br />four key areas: <br />1. Developing a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of the water needs in each basin. <br />2. Utilizing the funds made available by SB06-179 that created the ~Vater Supply Reserve Account to fund <br />water activities that help each basin address its water needs. <br />3. Fostering greater dialogue and understanding between basins. <br />4. Engaging the public more actively in this important dialogue on our water future. <br />