SJD_BRT_Mtg_3_Summary_Final_7-9-04

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San Juan/Dolores/San Miguel Basin Roundtable Technical Meeting #3 Meeting Summary . La Plata County is seeing 40/80 acre developments of irrigated lands, but the water is being used for landscaping and ponds and thus there is not a decrease in demand. . In some cases, M&I systems are seeing lower acre-feet per acre usage on 3-acre parcels. . Some Bureau of Reclamation projects have water use specifically authorized for irrigation and not for other uses; there is a process in place to change the use, but there is no guarantee this will be approved. . In some cases we may see an increase in agricultural return flows, but if water use efficiency measures are implemented, this may reduce return flows. . A loss of irrigation can result in dry-up of domestic wells related to less aquifer recharge. Water Supply Alternatives Overview Kelly DiNatale described how the water supply alternatives would be developed for the basin. He reminded the group that the alternatives developed during SWSI should be considered at a reconnaissance level and are not a substitute for local planning. Based on input from BRT's around the state, the original tiering concept has been redefined to represent identified projects and processes (formerly "Tier 1" or "short-term") and unidentified projects and processes (formerly "Tiers 2 and 3" or "mid- and long-term"). Kelly explained that the water supply options provided by the roundtable and additional options developed by the SWSI team will be combined to create alternatives which will be organized initially into four themes: demand management, infrastructure, agricultural transfers, and environmental/ recreational. Performance Measures John Rehring presented an overview of the performance measures that will be used to measure how effective the water supply alternatives are in achieving the water management objectives that were developed by the Basin Roundtable. (See BRT #2 Summary for more information on Water Management Objectives.) Alternatives Development Kelly DiNatale provided an overview of alternatives development for the basin integrating an overview of options that have been provided by Basin Roundtable members, and basinwide options such as conservation, augmentation plans, reuse, use of existing facilities, inbasin infrastructure, agricultural transfers, and transbasin infrastructure. Kelly reiterated that transbasin basin alternatives will be developed at a conceptual level, issues will be identified, and affected parties will also be identified. He also provided an overview of the supplies available in the basin. The following topics were discussed. Environmental Options . CDOW is participating in working dialogues for collaborative solutions. - There are several options for enhancing the habitat below McPhee Reservoir. - Creating barriers to non-native fish. CDIVI 5 SJD BRT Mtg #3 Summary_Final 7-9-04.doc 7/9/2004