25d ‎(2)‎

• Board Meeting Date: 11/18/2007
• Description: CWCB Director's Report
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

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actual funding for the conduit could still be a long way off.
The Water Resources Development Act, passed by the House earlier this year, was approved 81-12 by the
Senate. It now goes to President Bush, who threatened a veto after $9 billion in projects were added in
negotiations between the House and Senate.
Included in the act is a $79 million authorization toward the $300 million Arkansas Valley Conduit.
"We're excited any time we get authorization," said Bill Long, president of the Southeastern Colorado
Water Conservancy District, which is sponsoring the conduit. `But the conduit is only $79 million of that
$23 billion. The total amount of unfunded projects is enormous."
Long said there are three points that improve the chances of the conduit getting an actual appropriation:
A $60.6 million state loan through the Colorado Water Conservation Board has been secured,
providing a way to fund local share of payments.
Many of the 42 communities serti~ing 50,000 people east of Pueblo face daunting water quality
issues, largely from salinity and radionuclides that could require even more expensive
alternatives.
The district is looking at a plan, suggested by Executive Director Jim Broderick, to use revenues
from excess-capacity water leases to repay part of the costs.
The conduit was authorized in 1962 as part of the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project, but was never built
because local communities could not afford it. Three other bills in Congress are seeking authorization of
the conduit as a stand-alone project with up to 80 percent federal funding.
Colorado's senators split on supporting the water projects bill.
U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., said he requested $120 million for Colorado projects, including the
conduit. He voted in favor of the WRDA bill.
The bill also includes instructions to the Army Corps of Engineers to expedite the Fountain Creek
Watershed Study.
U.S. Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., said he supports the conduit, but voted against the bill because it adds
more projects to an existing backlog.
The Army Corps already has a backlog of $58 billion in projects, and with passage of the bill, that will
grow to more than $80 billion, Allard said.
Allard said he continues to support raising the federal cost-share for the conduit.
Allard said the conference report stripped out prioritization, peer-review and cost-share requirements
which were included in the Senate bill.
Other major Colorado projects in the water projects bill include:
• $10 million for the Boulder County Pipeline.
• $5 million authorization for a statewide selenium study.
• $13 million authorization for use in partnership with state and local entities to complete flood
Flood Protection • Water Project Planning and Finance • Stream and Lake Protection
Water Supply Protection • Conservation Plarming