Harris 3rd Qrt 07 Newsletter_10-24 single

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~ IJEP.....H..TM Ef\.~ or- NAT Ul tAL H..ESOURCES 6i II Ritter, Jr. - Governor Harris D. Sherman - DNR Executive Director Interbasin Compact Process Q~ NtMI~ - 3"J Q~ 200, From Harris Sherman Executive Director of DNR and Director of Compact Negotiations In 2005, the Colorado General Assembly created a new collaborative process for addressing our state's water needs when it passed HB 05-1177- The Colorado Water for the 21st Century Act. This process, embodied by the Interstate Basin Compact Committee (IBCC) and nine Basin Roundtables (BRTs), marked the continuation of the state's water planning efforts that began with the Statewide Water Supply Initiative (SWSI), the most comprehensive statewide analysis of water supply and demand ever undertaken by Colorado. The intent of the Interbasin Compact process is to take the knowledge gained through SWSI and, through a grassroots approach, foster inter-basin and intra-basin dialogue and agreements that lead to a more secure water future for Colorado. This newsletter documents the progress and milestones achieved by this process in 2007 and provides an update on the following key activities. and IBCC member on the challenges and needs of their basins. The strong foundation that was established in the early stages of this process enabled us to make progress on some important substantive issues in 2007. During the past year, the Interbasin Compact Process focused on four key areas: 1. Developing a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of the water needs in each basi n, The initial focus of the IBCC and BRTs was to lay the foundation for the process. This included identifying members and creating bylaws and ground rules upon which to operate, and it included the fundamental task of using the information gained in SWSI to educate each BRT 2. Utilizing the funds made available by SB06-179 that created the Water Supply Reserve Account (WSRA) to fund water activities that help each basin address its water needs, 3. Fostering greater dialogue and understanding between basins, and 4. Engaging the public more actively in this important dialogue on our water future. This newsletter briefly outlines activities in these areas and provides an update on the following: . Update on Consumptive Use Needs Assessments . Update on Nonconsumptive Use Needs Assessments . Update on Water Availability Study of Colorado River and Tributaries . Water Supply Reserve Account . Technical Assistance Task Orders Requested by Basin Roundtables