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<br />-J <br /> <br />Upper Gunnison River Water Conservancy District <br /> <br />,) <br /> <br />While Mr. DiNatale stated that the SWSI gross demand number includes an <br />additional 239 acre feet for snow making by the year 2030, the total demand <br />projection appears to based solely on the per capita formula and thus does not <br />actually include any additional amount for snowmaking. We are not clear on whether <br />or not the future demand used by SWSI allows tor snowmaking, and are concerned that <br />the 239 acre-feet figure identified by Mr. DiNatale is on the low side. <br /> <br />Mr. Dale Massey, with Crested Butte Mountain Resort CCBMRN) - the major sid <br />resort within the Upper Gunnison Basin, indicated to us that the resort used sixty-seven <br />mlllion (67,eXXHXXJ) gallons of water for snowmaklng this past year and has used up to <br />ninety million (90,(XX1OOO) gallons a year in past years. (A range of 205 to 276 acre feet <br />a year for current needs). Mr. Massey Indicated, consistent with public <br />announcements by the new owners of CBMR. that the resort plans to increase <br />snowmaking. Mr. Massey indicated he felt that five hundred (500) acre feet would <br />more accurately reflect the future snow making demand of CBMR, especially if the <br />anticipated expansion of the ski resort's acreage occurs. CBMR has worked in the past <br />with Mt. Crested Butte for its water supply and it is anticipated this relationship will <br />continue. However, as expressed above no short term projects have been Identified to <br />assist in meeting these increased demands. <br /> <br />As expressed at our meeting with Mr. DiNatale and the Gunnison basin <br />Roundtable 3, we are uncertain where the supply to meet all of the increased demand <br />comes from. At least half of the water from the short-term projects identified on the <br />Gunnison Basin short-term Options Catalog is or will be used to address existing needs <br />and therefore will not be available to address future needs. Specifically, <br />approximately twenty-five (25) acre feet from Meridian lake Reservoir has already <br />been committed to meet existing domestic augmentation needs and in past years over <br />two hundred fifty (250) acre feet from the five hundred (500) acre foot Aspinall <br />Augmentation water pool were used to meet existing augmentation needs. The <br />Colorado Division of Water Resources also recently made a decision to limit the area in <br />which Aspinall water would be acceptable as augmentation for new uses. It is <br />anticipated that future demands will require upstream water supplies and that <br />purchasing additional Aspinalf Unit water will not be able to fully augment these <br />demands. Therefore. the projects Identified on the short-term options catalog should <br />only be used in the SWSI study to provide a maximum of two hundred seventy-five (275) <br />acre feet of water to address the preliminary gap between demand and supply. <br /> <br />SWSI. has identified a value of 1, 112 acre feet for future demand based on a per <br />capita use and possibly a limited amount of increased snowmaklng demand (239 acre <br />feet). Our calculations put future demand at 1316 acre-feet using a population <br />increase of 5.715 people and a value of 239 acre feet for snow making. If a growth <br />rate that more accurately reflects the situation In Gunnison County is applied, future <br />demand is more likely to be in the range of 1.665 acre feet for municipal and industrial <br />use. The total demand for domestic use could be as high as 2, 165 acre feet using 500 <br />acre feet for snowmaklng. These numbers still do not include an allowance for peak <br />3 <br />200 East Virginia Avenue V Gunnison, Colorado 81230 <br />Telephone (970) 641-6065 V Fax (970) 641-7606 V <br /> <br />ugrwcd@COtgunnison.co.us <br />