Minutes Oct 2007 CBRT _2_

• Basin Roundtable: Colorado
• Title: October 07 Minutes
• Date: 10/22/2007
• Basin Roundtables - Doc Type: Minutes

q. Emphasize water conservation.
i. There's a fear that water conservation will only benefit Lower Basin states since the
water savings will flow downstream.
ii. But, water conservation efforts will delay the time before water treatment plants need to
be expanded .
9. Proposed Yampa Pumpback -Dan Birch. Dan Birch, who represents the Yampa-White
Roundtable and works as an engineer with the CRWCD, discussed the proposed Yampa
pumpback.
a. The South Platte Roundtable requested and held a joint meeting in Walden with representatives of
the Yampa-White Roundtable to discuss a proposal to pump up to 2,000 cfs and 500,000 AF from
the Yampa River below and north of Maybell to the Front Range. It could yield as much as 300,000
AF. The South Platte Roundtable stated its interest is to protect agriculture.
b. A stated advantage of the project is that it would divert Yampa flows that are downriver of most
existing Yampa River agricultural needs, and that it would capture water before it exits Colorado.
c. There are no existing water rights for the pumpback - it would be a new junior water right, and is
not based on buying up existing water rights. There has been no Water Court filing to date.
d. To date, no contractor has been assigned to the project. It will not be the Northern Colorado Water
Conservancy District, but a new state agency may be created.
e. The Yampa Water Conservancy District Board of Directors passed a resolution opposing the
proposal until the following issues are addressed:
i. Endangered fish recovery efforts
ii. Impacts to recreation, since the pumpback would remove peak flows from the
river. Average aiulual Yampa flows are 1.2 million acre feet, so the pumpback
would capture 25% of its historical average aiulual flow.
iii. Water quality concerns.
f. Eric Wilkinson, Executive Director of the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District, stated
the Yampa pumpback would benefit the South Platte, North Platte, Yampa, Upper Colorado, and
Arkansas River Basins, because it would take pressure of existing and proposed transbasin Front
Range diversions.
g. A $250,000 study of this proposal was fiinded by a consortium of Eastern Slope water providers
(Northern and Denver Water) and Western Slope interests including the CRWCD. Grand Valley
water interests failed to participate in the study because they do not favor the proposal.
10. Update on previous Water for the 21St Century Grant awards.
a. Eagle County 190 AF Reservoir Enlargement. The reservoir expansion is slated for the Summer
of 2008.
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