Rio_Grande_BRT_Mtg_1_Summary_final

Home Browse Search

Rio Grande Basin Roundtable Technical Meeting #1 Meeting Summary - Groundwater users have come to expect a reliable supply . Municipal users on deep wells have had a reliable water supply . Reliability varies based on water rights and precipitation and runoff . Wildlife ebbs and flows based on climate and water availability and will migrate to sources of water . Demand has exceeded supply in the last 20 years and resulted in an unreliable supply as groundwater levels decline . Need to examine demands in view of the sustainable supply . Recognize water is a limited resource in the San Luis Valley . Need to respect individual property rights and the ability to use the resource for multiple uses . Adjusting demands to available supply is critical for a sustainable future . It is not realistic to have an absolutely reliable supply for agriculture . It may be desirable to have an administrative tool to adjust demands to supply, to support increased sustainability: - Sustainable under varying hydrology and tools to manage demand 2. Maximize Efficient Use of Existing Supply Draft Subobjectives Presented . Use appropriate-quality water for appropriate uses . Increase reuse and exchanges . Increase efficiency of use . Reduce evaporation and conveyance losses . Continued promotion of conservation best management practices Comments . There was a general disagreement on the draft subobjectives presented because of the uniqueness of the closed basin and the interrelationship between the so-called /I inefficient use" and the benefits that accrue to other water users and the environment from this /I inefficient use" . There was agreement on reducing evaporation, where feasible . Summary of efficiency: - Higher water table = increased efficiency . Lower pumping heads . Less pumping for wetlands . Surface water flows faster . Wetlands result from return flows and more prolific under higher water table conditions . Environment can suffer from efficient agriculture due to reduced return flows . Urban efficiency should stay on the table . Reducing conveyance losses should be removed - these losses recharge the aquifer . Need to define efficiency . Incorporate Best Management Practices in definition of /I efficient use" . There are a variety of uses that are equally important and one type of use should not be singled out for /I efficiency" CDIVI 5 Rio Grande BRT Mtg #1 SummarLfinal.doc 11/14/2003